Brakes - Rock Is Dodelijk [Album]

Fat Cat Records

October 21, 2009, 05:37 PM

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Brakes started life in 2003 as a splinter group, a side project pieced together from ancillary members of British Sea Power and Electric Soft Parade. However the intervening 6 years have seem them grow into something of a full time hobby and hot on the heels of this years critically acclaimed third album 'Touchdown' comes the bombastic live album 'Rock Is Dodelijk.' 20 tracks rattle by in just over 40 minutes at such a breakneck pace there's barely time to catch your breath and it's all over, much like being at an actual Brakes gig.

Brakes deal almost exclusively in high-octane indie-punk in the style of Pixies and early Replacements and it's a sound which we don't see too much these days so, this record provided me with some welcome relief (not a synth in sight). The sound is impressive throughout and really manages to capture the essence of the band (guitars are turned up to 11, drums pound with tribal fury and vocals are delivered as though pants are on fire). The set strikes a fine balance between the bands primary material and their short, sharp, sub 1 minute fixes of energy, songs for which the band have become notorious (their first single was only 28 seconds long). Such songs include titles such as 'Pick Up The Phone,' 'Porcupine or Pineapple' and 'Comma Comma Comma Comma Full Stop' and more often than not consist of little more than the songs title over a cacophony of guitar noise. It's a gimmick that would wear thin if it were over-used but it's employed sparingly enough as as to never truly grate. The songs which last longer than 2 minutes (we'll call them the 'main' songs for arguments sake) generally veer comfortably between quietly menacing verses and chaotic chorus's where guitars and drums meld into one almighty, deafening whole.

If your looking for intricate melody and traditionally crafted songs you're looking in the wrong place. This is a record (and band) overflowing with bile and the music is a perfect match for frontman Eamon Hamilton's twisted, stream-of thought lyrics which bare more than a passing resemblance to some of Frank Black's less winsome offerings. The nature of the music makes it inherently difficult to pick stand-out tracks but there are moments of pop clarity amidst the chaos with 'What's In It For Me,' 'Spring Chicken' and the surprising funk-rock of 'All Night Disco Party' in particular delivering some impressive hooks. The band even manage to include a few left turns with the country stomp of 'Don't Tell The Truth' and the plaintive, yearning 'Isabel' slotting into the band repertoire without sounding in any way forced or contrived. There's also a surprisingly adept cover of the Johnny cash duet 'Jackson' and 'Don't Take Me To Space (Man)' which shows a slightly more psychedelic slant to the band that suits them well.

All in all 'Rock Is Dodelijk' serves as a perfect introduction to the music of Brakes, a band who's energy is captured here with more clarity and conviction than it has been yet on record.

Tracklisting:
1. Hi How Are You
2. Hey Hey 1
3. NY Pie
4. Pick Up The Phone
5. I Can't Stand To Stand Beside You
6. Heard About Your Band
7. Cease & Desist
8. Ring A Ding Dong
9. What's In It For Me? 1
10. Porcupine Or Pineapple
11. Spring Chicken
12. Huevos Rancheros
13. COMMA COMMA COMMA FULL STOP
14. Hey Hey 2
15. All Night Disco Party
16. What's In It For Me 2
17. Why Tell The Truth?
18. Isabel
19. Don't Take Me To Space (Man)
20. Jackson

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