Demos

Lasse Brawn - Exacerbating Circumstances

Owain Paciuszko 19/04/2010

Rating: 4/5

Having recycled and reshuffled themselves through an ever changing line-up over the past 18 months, in the midst of this producing 2 EPs, has ultimately formed itself into the Lasse Brawn all present and correct on this blisteringly good punk-rock four track.

Opening with the deliriously angsty and oddly squelchy sound of Kim, which finds lead singer Scott Lewis recalling Future of the Left's front-man with his barked questions and wry humour. Musically it's an adept cacophony of grinding guitars, splashy drums and screeches and wails of fretboards, distortion and other expertly wrangled menacing crescendoes. Meanwhile Can't Understand Not Talking is a wall of noise that barrages you before Lewis and Billy Watts' vocals duel from speaker to speaker, their delivery is arch to the hilt and a theatrically angry punctuation mark between long, sprawling sentences of rock prose.

Mary jangles off of Sonic Youth-like guitars before collapsing into throat shreddingly screamed choruses. It's a song of three acts each one improving on the last, with cries of 'Revenge!' heralding the final phase in which the song transforms into an epic squall of guitars. Closing track Itch has a rolling and lively riff with vocals that demand to be sung along to, before bizarre drawled verses lollop out with the delirious charm of Excerpts From The Diary of Todd Zilla-era Grandaddy, it's peculiar and shouldn't work, but does so superbly.

This is a fantastic, energetic and pleasingly raw sounding EP. Highly recommended listening.