Kong - Snake Magnet [Album]

Brew Records

It is often said that we live in a sanitised world; one where technology is constantly developed to assist us to live our lives more comfortably. From electric can openers to twitter, we embrace anything that eliminates, or at least reduces, any effort involved in us living our everyday lives. Tired of turning a small lever a few times to get to that peach (which in itself has been peeled, sliced and de-stoned for us)? Tired of leaving your house to meet up with friends? We got it all covered. And it has spread to music too; for those of you who don’t feel that one of life’s greatest pleasures is spending hours in a record store, trawling through stacks of vinyl or CD’s for a rare Japanese import, or a cover that catches your eye firmly enough to take a wild punt on its contents, then these are your times bro. Order your music online, or better still, download it illegally after the artist has found you via Myspace. Of course if any of this bothers you, then things are gonna get a whole lot worse before they get any better.

In many ways it’s all of this that defines us as human beings – that separates us from other animals. We use our own intelligence rather than simply relying on evolution to make our lives easier, to reduce risk of injury or premature death, to prolong our lives and yeah most of the time...just to make our lives easier. There are people though who believe in making an effort from time to time; who shun the easy option and take a step back – a step back to where we all came from...from primates...from Kong. For Manchester three-piece Kong represent humans in their basic state – a brutal animal trying, above all else, to survive. It’s too easy to do as many have done and describe Kong’s sound as evil, but to do that is to suggest that good and evil are inherent instincts, and not something that religion and subsequently society has defined. It says a lot about the human race that people will now describe something which is simply primitive and feral as evil.

Kong’s statement of intent begins before they even play a note; donning matching masks and red outfits to eradicate the face and fashion that dominates so much of our world, not least our music, and/or to simply scare the shit out of us. When they do bring the noise – they really do BRING IT! Snake Magnet is 50 minutes of ferocious guitar, brutish drums and savage vocals; the very antithesis of that which society has held as a comfort blanket for so long - pop music. From the first stone cast in “Leather Penny” to the final blow of “K(l)ong”, Snake Magnet is unrelenting and completely unmerciful. Hoping a big “tune” will be right around the corner? Forget it chorus lover and get used to the relentless pummelling that your ears are gonna take from here on in.

The cynic, nay realist, in me knows that Snake Magnet will pass the world by largely unnoticed, which is to say it will never be given a chance to do what it is so capable of doing. Snake Magnet is an album that has the power to shake people out of their comfort zone, but Kong’s unwelcoming moniker and image means that to even begin to listen to it you need to first step out of it anyway. Yet when taking that step means you get to experience something as exhilarating and life-affirming as Snake Magnet, why would you want to exist anywhere else? There’s a scene in that famous movie, where the savage tribe beat and scream out the most primeval of music to summon their king Kong to accept their sacrifice. Now it is Kong who summon the tribes, but it is still they who must make the sacrifice.

Track List:

Leather Penny
Blood of a Dove
Whet Yer Knives
The Stench of Internal Fire
Good Graphics
What's Yer Name Called
Sport
A Hint of Rennit, Innit
Count To 9
K(l)ong