Album Review: Joe Gideon & The Shark

Harum Scarum

Facts about this album:

* Viva Gideon, aka The Shark, represented the UK in ribbon gymnastics in the Barcelona Olympics.

* Joe Gideon & The Shark both used to be in Bikini Atoll, who were produced by Steve Albini.

Album review:

Joe Gideon and his sister Viva (aka The Shark), formerly of Bikini Atoll, have become a drums/guitar platform for Joe’s spoken-word stories of surreal woe. Sounds shrug-worthy? Well, it’s astonishing. Somehow they’ve alchemised an epic album from the hypnotic voodoo blues of The Gun Club, the shamanic gabbling of Patti Smith and some damn good gags. ‘DOL’ sounds like early PJ Harvey; ‘Harum Scarum’ is The Black Keys looking for God. Both are bone-rattling, but the real magic’s in their slowies. ‘Kathy Ray’ is a beautifully melancholic tale of a washed-up singer, while ‘True Nature’ is like Autolux doing a Nick Cave murder ballad. By turns ethereal and fleshly, this album showcases an inspired new band with fire at their fingertips.

Martin Robinson

More on this artist:
Joe Gideon & The Shark NME Artist Page
Joe Gideon And The Shark

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