Super Love Giant - 'Red Medicine'
Musically, Red Medicine feels like Side
2 of the Super Love Giant debut album, following on from their previous
self-titled EPs Side 1. Everything here is a logical continuation
of their pared-down blues-soused hard rock, but with the ante upped
because this is Side 2, the grand finale.
So the EP charges out of the stalls with the fast and impatient Yellow,
showcasing guitarist/singer Sam Boeveys lyrical abilities (You
only get clean while people scream in the next room, so oblivious
to the fact that youll be leaving soon), acerbic and frank
in a Morrisey-ish way and slightly at oddswith the lyrical tradition
for music as heavy as this. And the record continues with a consistent
drip-feed of the two-pieces' subtler capabilities which were there
on previous releases but were buried beneath the strong presence of
their sum-total noise.
A large part of Red Medicines discovery
factor is the careful production which treats each song as an individual
story. So the slow, brooding Im Worse Than That
is swathed in reverb giving it an icy tension, whereas the punky lurching
title track has a thick coating of fuzz, giving the effect of a swarm
of bees setting up home in your inner-ear.
The performances here serve the songs too - in particular the title
track is a masterclass in controlled chaos, where the wheels sound
ready to fall off at any point but miraculously hold on for the duration.
This is in stark contrast to the closing track Toddlers Toy,
which displays their precision musicianship drummer Jonny Pyke,
often the engine room of the pair, takes centre stage for the final
few minutes with a dazzling series of fills.
With that final track, Red Medicine does feel like a satisfactory
end to the ball that started rolling with last years' record. Rest
assured, it stands alone as a fine piece of rock n roll too
their formula is easy to like and is played out with audible
enthusiasm. This is recommended listening.
Rich
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http://superlovegiant1.bandcamp.com/