Demos

thedealwasforthediamond - It's Not Enough to Reproduce

Thomas 07/04/2008

Rating: 4/5

Ah-haaaa! Knowing me, Thomas, knowing you as being an overly pretentious band by the use of lower-case letters without punctuation! Seriously though, it's always a worry, the 'we're using language in any way we want to maaan'-ness of such titular nonsense. Thank heavens then that such fears are blown apart from the off by the sheer bloody volume at which the band hammer through the impressive opening tracks on this, their debut self-recorded EP.

Largely instrumental, crunchingly heavy rock is the name of the game here, although that does sell the 'deal (as we shall call them) a little short, as they bridge the post/prog rock divide with ease, in fact finding a very pleasant niche all of their own.

Mature, complex song structures are married together with precise, fluid musicianship, while the recording itself is a joy. Razor-sharp guitars and powerhouse drums slap you right in the face during their eponymous signature tune, while the time changes in 'Blisters On My Fingers' sound refreshingly natural and organic.

Poorly-named sixth track 'Kamakazilarge' turns out to be a quite wonderful slice of peak-period Floyd yet with bigger balls, floating and twisting its way through the clouds, guitars being elegantly wrangled with until it reaches a glorious crescendo of noise, with some pounding metal drumming thrown in for good measure. It's like being kicked by the world's prettiest mule.

So as a doleful brass section plays out the final few notes on the record, you can't help but wonder two things: when was the last time a band sounded this assured on their first release, and secondly, why are all their song titles so completely sodding horrendous? ('Human Farmyard', anyone?)

But that's a minor quibble. Fond of Mogwai but wish there was, ironically, a little more Rock Action? Wish the Mars Volta weren't so full of… well, themselves? Send a stamped addressed envelope to GIITTV for a free crayon to write this in your shiny notebook: thisdealisdoneanddusted.