The Cold Beat - Dumbwaiter [EP]

Self Released

May 30, 2009, 04:16 PM

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The very second I started spinning this disc I knew I what I was in for, a band who seem to have been primarily and unapologetic-ally influenced by The Replacements, a band I deem to be one of the best and most underrated of the last 30 years having written 3 of the albums which reside in my all time top 50 (Let It Be, Tim and Pleased To Meet Me). Please excuse me... I'm not prone to gush much (if ever) but 'The Mats' are one of only a handful of bands I just can't get enough of.... and now that's out of the way on with our review.

The Cold Beat (the fact that their name holds a close resemblance to fellow Mats acolytes 'The Hold Steady' is probably no coincidence) are a band who seem to arrive custom built for cult status, taking the deceptively tight chaotic guitar rock of 'The Mats' mid years (i.e. the best years) and infusing it with harsher, lo-fi edges. It's melodic, powerful and cathartic music but in a musical American landscape where bastardised motown-lite baby making musak and bullshit, over-earnest stadium rock for kidz(sic) is apparently the music de jour. Is there really space in the mainstream for the The Cold Beat? In my eyes the answer is a resounding yes... but I have been wrong before (Hope of the States anyone?).

This is a record chock full of real, balls out rock and roll anthems. The drums pound, the guitars explode and the singer sounds like a really pissed off Jeff Tweedy. The opening 4 songs are pretty much faultless by genre standards and set up the EP well. Opener 'Watch and Ward' bursts into life over a 'Song 2' beat and an incessant vocal melody which is given extra weight by grinding guitars. The melodies are far from subtle and the rhythm section sticks pretty solidly to the rock and roll template but everything is so full of life here it's almost impossible to nit-pick.

In fact, my only major criticism of the record is that you could pretty much copy and paste that paragraph above and apply it to almost every song here. It's far from a diverse record but at just under 20 minutes it never once drags. I can't actually pin-point a duff track... which could conversely be because the tracks are so similar it's hard to tell them apart. 'Like A Blister' sounds like a modern 'Bastards Of Young' and though 'I Wanna Be Free' is the weakest track of the records opening half it's still got that energetic and sun-kissed charisma.

There are no slower moments here which is a real shame as I would loved to have seen The Cold Beat try their hand at a song akin to The Replacements 'Androgynous' but they are a young band so one should forgive them for sticking to their comfort zone for now. The shining star of the record for me is 'Antiquing' with it's anthemic grandeur and defiant lyrics ("we're running off the rails, like a disaster you read about") sounding like a call to arms. It's a stunning song.

The EP seems to tail off a bit after 'Antiquing' as the last 2 songs 'Comfortably Clean' and 'Circus Catch' seem to be treading water a little. They are by no means bad songs, it's just that they happen to be in the company of 4 very similar and much better songs, this really underlines the point that a little dynamic in the song-writing would go a long way. 'Comfortably Clean' has a great chorus but the rest of the track seems like almost a second thought and 'Circus Catch' ends the record with more of a snap than a bang, sounding almost like an average Foo Fighters song (to this day I can't believe the irony in one of the worlds most overrated bands borrowing so much of their sound from one of it's most underrated)

All in all though this is a really solid record from a fantastic band who should sound incredible live and should keep the bands coffers full until they decide to record a full length. The Cold Beat are a great band with unique lyrics and a classic sound, next time a little variation wouldn't go amiss but for now 'Dumbwaiter remains a record of almost limitless promise and potential.

Tracklisting:-

1. *Watch And Ward*
2. *Like A Blister*
3. *I Wanna Be Free*
4. *Antiquing*
5. Comfortably Clean
6. Circus Catch

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