On their second release, they have shed their gloomy post-punk shadow and their tendency for arty experimentation in favor of a harder two-guitar edge. There’s a delicate interweaving of rhythms that should excite guitar fans of TELEVISION and even the SOFT BOYS.
Count the influences: WIRE, MEKONS, the FALL, JOHN CAGE, MINUTEMEN, TALKING HEADS, JOY DIVISION, even LEONARD COHEN. But what makes this record so much better than their earlier EP is that the group finally has the ability to digest their influences and discard ideas to create their own exclusive sound. At times the music is tense and obsessed, while other times it’s loose and reflective. This is a great step forward for this band.
It’s unfair to compare a very original band to another just to help explain their sound. But I will. A little like the MINUTEMEN, but fuller and less manic; a little like the FALL, too. The lyrics are offbeat and are used more for sound/mood than message. Most of them used to be a band called TOXIC SHOCK.
More geeks from San Pedro! Yeah! At first, their pop guitars make them sound as though they’d like to get on MTV, land a big recording contract, or imitate insipid Euro-pop bands. But you’ll soon see that this is just another bunch of self-indulgent weirdos (including Rob Holzman of SACCHARINE TRUST) playing a mixture of pop, post-punk, and jazz, with a slight dash of psychedelia and occasional keyboards and saxes. If you like TRAGIC MULATTO, you’ll love Slovenly.
