WAGTAIL - NINE SONGS ALBUM REVIEW

First thing that hit me about this new Wagtail album?: how uncompromisingly fucking weird it is. Realistically it has the intensity of a man trapped in a burlap sack being savagely kicked to death by Warwick Davis dressed as a Stasi Officer. Everything this album holds comes together as what I can only describe as lo-fi Americana. Each piece of it’s nine-song runtime, complete with trumpets, trombones and mellotrons, give the album the vibe of a bastardized film soundtrack lost in time.

Mostly, Wagtail’s debut is a collage of weird and wacky ideas that paint a lonesome and frenetic picture. Anything goes with this album’s attempts to thrust you into it’s warped and tuneful soundscapes. Nothing is held back on the opening song in particular, as “Slowly The Grease Drips” plays out like a spaghetti western soundtrack from hell, complete with layers of sound that forcibly drown a distressed spoken word section in the second half. This is complemented nicely with the swaying, moody grooves of the following track: “There’s No End”. Offering a more conventional structure, the track paces the album nicely after the insanity of the opening song, however it’s gothic grooves add a darker tint to the album’s story. Numbers like these are an instantaneous example of the band’s care-free, no boundaries approach to songwriting.

These differentiating styles and influences make for an incredibly exciting listen. One moment you’ll be caught with the sludging loneliness of “Where's The Money At?” before being thrust into the frantic psychedelia of “The Sleep (I Need My)”. The album’s merit lies in its uncompromising playfulness, leading the listener to not know what to expect next.

The only problem that listeners might encounter is the album’s production and mixing. At times the amount of layers of effects, instrumentation and noise can become overbearing in the mix. From the album’s perspective however, this is a complete blessing. Relating back to the aforementioned opening track, it’s spoken-word segment sounds almost as if it is being succumbed by the ensuing walls of sound that build up. As they continue to build, the vocals become more strained and desperate until the instrumentation closes in and ensues it. It’s almost as if the song’s protagonist is being slowly but surely strangled into silence.

There aren't many local releases that sound anything quite like Wagtail’s debut. It's a weird mix of lo-fi ideas that culminate in a multi-layered trip through Americana, psychedelia and folk, through which it tells a frighteningly manic yet joyful story draped in layers of reverb and noise. Definitely worth a listen if you’re looking for something care-free and creative during these trying times. 

You can purchase the album digitally or neb yourself one of the few remaining cassette versions here:

https://wagtail.bandcamp.com/

THE HUNNA / JAWS LIVE AT UNITY ARENA 14/09/20 Gig Review

Image courtesy of Will Gorman

If ever you wanted a trip back to 2016, a one which showed you everything you loved and loathed from that year, then this gig was it.

For a band that essentially played reworked versions of New Order’s Ceremony for their entire set, Jaws ended up being the most impressive act for the night. Whilst their indie pop jams are definitely beginning to show their age, their musicianship and presentation demands more praise than you would expect. Coupled with their porefessional performance ability, their repetitive lyrics and reverb-drenched jazzmaster tones will give them a dead horse to beat for years to come.

On the other hand was The Hunna, a band which accumulated a massive following during 2016/2017. This was somewhat attributed to their constant touring during those years, which itself has definitely paid off as the band’s drive to put on a good show was paramount during their set. They were definitely good at holding the audience to attention and keeping up an energetic vibe, despite the fact that their vocalist was the only member with any sort of stage presence. The problem is that this all falls flat when you actually hear The Hunna’s music. All of their songs (albeit one acoustic ballad) attempted the clean, powerful grooves of mid 2010s popular rock bands such as Royal Blood and Bring Me The Horizon, a sound itself that has already dated horribly over the last five years. These songs, with their repetitive lyrics and derivative musicianship, all seemed to mesh together into one big mess of soaring choruses and simplistic heavy grooves.

If anything should be taken away from a gig like this, it’s the outrageous nostalgia hit that I’m sure most older fans of these bands would get. If you had a good time with them during their early tours four years ago, then I’m sure you’d enjoy them now as their live shows seemed to have improved more than their songs. Even if you’re not a fan of either bands and never will be, it was still a nice opportunity to see a group of musicians get back to doing what they love for the first time in five months.