Review Summary: A fairly decent last album from this minimalist London band full of short post-punk tracks.
There’s a record chain in my part of the world that I like to call “flavour of the month”. They stock anything that’s playing on commercial radio and add the occasional albums that have an “edge” to them. Let’s just say you’ll never find Godspeed You Black Emperor filed under G. So I was quite surprised to see this album in their bargain bin for the price of a daily newspaper.
Ikara Colt (from London) broke up in early 2005 and this was their last release. It combines some short punchy post punk tracks, some rough and ready almost dissonant male vocals offset by sweeter and more melodic female crooning. There are plenty of bass driven tracks and several neat percussion moments (courtesy of Tracy Bellaires and Dominic Young respectively). The production by Alex Newport is quite good, he gives every instrument space and they all get individual moments to shine. It’s cool to hear each component clearly, but given Alex’s previous band history (Fudge Tunnel, Nailbomb, etc), I thought there might have been a little more meat on the bone (so to speak).
Their influences have been loosely stated as early Sonic Youth and The Fall but going out on a limb I’d also cite The Pixies (probably get away with that one), Fugazi (possibly get away with that one ), and heck I’d throw in a little Bleach-era Nirvana (almost certainly won’t get away with that one). There are probably numerous art/post rock influences seeping through, but I haven’t heard enough of the genre and I’m not about to pretend I’m clever and list them. Also, there is certainly a vibe across the record that points to style being strongly balanced against substance, not quite as obvious as Interpol but heading down that road.
The album kicks off with a bang, “Wanna Be That Way” jumps fast from the starting gate and is followed up by “Wake In The City”. My guess is this track would have been a single, it’s a good representation of what’s across the whole album. Guitarist Claire Ingram steps up to the microphone for the more laidback feel of “Modern Feeling”, followed up by the more chaotic “I’m With Stupid”. I do prefer the Ingram vocals to those of keyboard player Paul Resende who is less polished but it kinda works in the context of the band. Two of the standout tracks later on are “Waste Ground” that takes a step back with a nice floating chorus, and “Day Draws Thin” with some ultra cool bass and drums that drive the song perfectly.
One of the down sides to the record is that it’s only 34 minutes in lengths over the 13 tracks (12 are listed but you got an extra song). This is fine for those with short attention spans. But on a few occasions, you can’t help but feel some of the songs are under developed and could have used some filling out. In line with the image and scope of the band, the artwork and liner notes are minimalist and to some degree non-existent (I’ve never seen a blank liner note page in an album before).
I wouldn’t swim through rivers of lava to secure this album but it’s a solid release nonetheless. It’s a pretty good record to put on when you’re getting ready for a big night, there’s enough to get you fired up but it won’t get you to the ultimate crescendo.
