| |
Review: |
|
There was a time circa the late 80s when bands from Dunedin, New Zealand, were making something of a splash with the likes of The Clean and The Chills gaining most of the plaudits. The best of all for me were Snapper whose Buddy / Because of You 12" EP was one of the finest records of its time. Now, all these years later, from this same city, come The Dark Beaks. Whilst Spill Your Heart is not in the same class as that glorious Snapper record, it definitely has its moments.
One of these is the opening track, Dream About You, with its repetitive riff providing a suitable backdrop for Andrew Jamieson's Blue Nile vocals. I could probably do without him having the odd Roger Daltrey-like moment halfway through, but otherwise it's a cracking track with a great guitar sound. In A Coalmine is a darker affair with a slight country feel, whilst the title track that follows is simply a cracker. Like Dream About You, it's built on a repetitive guitar riff, but this time with added Byrds-like harmonies and an even better melody. My only complaint is that it clocks in under the two minute mark. Down By Your Pool, however, is twice that length, but something of a mess. I admire the band's ambition on it, but Jamieson's vocals sounds like he's trying too hard which is perhaps understandable seeing as the various bits don't really gel.
Open The Window is much better with its Talking Heads circa '77 feel, whilst Deserve It has a gloriously shambolic guitar solo, reminiscent of Sonic
Youth's Hits Of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg). It won't appeal to Pat Travers fans, but thankfully that's not the point. Seal Was Broken finds Jamieson sounding like The Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan again, before things build up and the guitar gets all grindy. Eyes To The Ground, meanwhile, is a funky little number with a tasty, choppy guitar riff.
The album closes with Take Your Time with its funereal Jesus & Mary Chain-like drum beat. Over this, Jamieson pleads "Take your time, there's no need to hurry" before contradicting himself with the added "Time is marching on" that shows he doesn't mean this "take your time" business at all. He wants her now!! Which is fair enough - time is marching on. I can think of worse ways to spend it than listening to this album though. Promising…
|
|
