Record review

readysteadyjedi.com

12 Dec 2005

Future come and get me

It might be a disservice to open a review with a reference to an album’s sleeve notes. If so, forgive me. The liner notes to this release are disarmingly honest – the reality of making a collection of songs that, no matter how good, will never pay for themselves; a stark reminder that as well as being underground many bands are underpaid and underfed as well. At least we can hope that Stoat are not under-appreciated.

Another critical faux pas is to refer to other bands when describing an album’s sound. And a critical shorthand could be Sultans of Ping, Joy Division, The Coral and Beefheart. However this is not fair to any band in the comparison. Better to say that in subject matter, Stoat can be both aware and mystical. Musically they veer from melody to sea-borne stomp and onwards through noise.

From the opening rumblings of 59 Dame Street, through the swinging shanties and all the way to the closer Celebrate Quick (the song itself lurches like the best of Irish Rigs but still sounds modern) it is clear that here is a band with many good ideas. The opening alarm clock ring tone giving away to the melodic bass and the rough shout/talk of the first track “I got an interview so what could I do but go along and pretend to be someone else”. Humour blending well with darker themes as neither overpowers the other.

The highlight is Periscope Down – melodic and enjoyable. There is nothing better than a song that draws you in so much that you sing lines like “Little faces by the seaside” as if you are telling the secret of life to some stranger who sat next to you on the bus as you listen to your discman.

But the melody is not all and the band moves from the melodic to sharper sounds often. The sound provides a lot of dimension – guitar screaming or playing straight chords is never too prominent in the mix. Instead the songs sound complete first and only the sum of their parts upon further listenings. The songs don’t plough for obvious emotion either but bounce from mood to mood. “Sing a little song of the next one…and it’ll be ok by and by” on Fat Pig is delivered as an upbeat, pastoral refrain. But the darkness comes and later on in the same track we have “…and the kids round there say, that’s where Fat Pig used to stay”.

This is a strong album with plenty to recommend it. It is hard to fault an album recorded on a shoestring for the production values (and I really am n’t trying to) but, frustratingly, I can’t help but wonder would this have been an absolute stunner with a decent recording budget and more time to leave ideas flow and progress.