ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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The Brute Chorus
THE BRUTE CHORUS SELF RELEASED 19.10.09 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
Tap tap tap tap on a hollow cowbell introduces chanted lyrics about Hercules before crunchy riffs arrive. Other mythological creatures walk in. This is NOT a normal album. Things stop / start, tales veer to the Greco-Roman pantheon, with the addition of some Judaic figures, indie guitar riffs are all pointy and keep changing. Songs are short (opener is less than 3 minutes), keeping the listener surprised and challenged. This is NOT a relaxing album. This is a live album. That’s right, a live album. It’s their first album so it’s not a collection of studio favourites. The Brute Chorus decided that this was the best representation of their sound, rehearsed for weeks and then recorded the album in an hour. That’s right, an hour…. Their art is very theatrical, dramatic and, above all, pretentious. Nebuchadnezzar has a song about him, as does Ulysses. Can you remember when you last heard a song mentioning either? This is NOT a smooth listen. They have a single called Grow Fins. Not only is this a tribute to the godlike genius that is Captain Beefheart, it is a glorious affirmation of life, grabbing change by the throat and flourishing – “let it rain, let’s grow fins”. The energy just pours out of them and the audience receives the outpouring with rapture. The noise often rises to bang bang bang climaxes, jerking the head and body back and forth. I defy you to sit still when you hear this. Between-times, vocals are heartfelt and intense while the band holds a controlled feedback or hum or acoustic pick – whatever colour suits. The last band melding head and body like this was Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. This is NOT background music. Recorded with confidence, live in the studio, in one take, with 300 fans, this is a heart-stopping exercise in tightrope walking and bravado. This has to be a bunch of university Classics students, wearing their learning and self-belief on their sleeves. Quite how they allied the subject matter to punkabilly and art-rock is anyone’s guess. I’m not going to describe tracks one by one, except to say if the Cramps had met a girl who looked like Joan Of Arc, the result would sound like All The Pilgrims. The album is of-a-piece fabulous, an astonishing debut, an act of bravery and one that will be talked about for years to come as an all-time classic debut. This IS a winner. Run to your record shop (remember them?) and buy this. www.myspace.com/thebrutechorus |
