Review Summary: A cheap shot at Liverpool AND good Australian music?
What is your fsvourite sports team? Irregardless of the sport itself the general answer is the team that is closest to you geographically. Yes, hometown pride is an incredibly strong emotion. It compels a plethora of sports fans to attend their local venues and even to travel to venues that house the opposing team. The majority of the fans have never met any of the players in question nor are they familiar with the inner workings of the club itself but they will support these titans blindly. A pessimistic view perhaps from a true sucker for sports.
An irrelevant paragraph? Enter my relationship with The Medics. The Medics are a young band from Cairns, North Queensland in Australia. I first encountered The Medics at a small festival in 2010. They were one of the only bands actually from the area They had perhaps the hardest and most soul draining spot of the festival: the first, lame 20ish minute spot. The Medics played about 4 songs and were by my calculations the best band of the day. Their dynamic dreamy alternative rock struck a serious chord with me and made me go home with them on my mind. I added their band page on Facebook and endeavoured to keep a keen eye on them.
As a result of this I followed The Medics as they progressed, releasing the odd song and music video occasionally before finally announcing that they would record a full debut album. The name of this album is Foundations and it, my friends, does not disappoint.
Now as I alluded to above the Medics are a hard band to pinpoint sound wise. They claim to be influenced by bands like mewithoutyou, At the Drive-In and Radiohead but rarely sound like any of these bands for too long. Songs like "Griffin" and "Joseph" are real anthemic songs that are sure to translate wonderfully into a live arena whereas songs like "Deadman" and "Golden Bear" methodically build before reaching their respective intense climaxes. It is a nice mix that The Medics achieve. The strength that Foundations possesses is how unique it manages to be. Vocalist Kahl Wallace has an incredibly distinguishable voice and in truth the only real variation in the vocals is an adjustment in volume from time to time. This however works and as vocal performances go 'Rust' stands proudly and demands attention. The prime reason for Kahl's success on this record is that his voice makes whatever the band does sound complete.
In relation to the band itself not a great deal really needs to be said. They are solid, the music is well written and barely sounds forced. Jhindu Lawrie, the drummer sounds incredibly accomplished, as if he has been a musician for much longer then the band's short lifespan suggests. As well as keeping the beat for the band flawlessly he adds several interesting dimensions to each song. The guitar and bass work is solid as well. There is no overly excessive technical exhibition present here, the guitars and the bass only one of the many colours present in the canvas that is The Medics' music. I guess that analogy demonstrates this band's approach best, every element at play aims to paint a vivid picture that is beautiful and intricately layered.
And so we come full circle and I guess the first paragraph of this review is to serve as a disclaimer. Like a Liverpool fan who takes his friend to a match and insists that sometimes they play well or a loyal Gold Coast Suns fan who is sure they'll bounce back from losing against GWS I may have perhaps misdirected my enthusiasm. A band that once lived within 500 kilometres from me released an album and it's fantastic. Get on it guys. Long live hometown pride.
