March 9, 2007

Kubichek!

Not Enough Night (30:30)

8 / 10 Let it be known, rock’n’roll is about escape – the transposing of the soul from the mundane to the majestic, via the clattering unison of guitars, drums, and soaring vocals. Listening to Oasis makes this writer feel like a rock’n’roll star. Listening to The Twang makes him feel like a champion boxer. And, you know what? Listening to Kubichek! leaves him feeling like a muthafucking ninja.
See, the Newcastle band’s debut long player is a heady, indelibly cool listen. Dealing almost exclusively in songs of vengeance (stupid ex-girlfriends, stupid local scenes, the stupid music industry, etc, all come in for scorn), their choice of guitar sound is more malfunctioning Black & Decker power tool than Marshall stack, while album highlight, ‘Hometown Strategy’ – a song akin to Echo & The Bunnymen at their dewy-eyed best, only re-imagined by underrated ’90s noiseniks Idlewild – is a veritable pout of a tune. Meanwhile, recent single ‘Nightjoy’ is a song to punch the air (and disbelievers’ faces) to, while, ‘Stutter’ sounds like a band equally in love with Fugazi as they are Primal Scream. This is a record laced with belief that rock’n’roll is man’s greatest contribution to the world, yet also that anyone that tarnishes its name and legacy is deserving of a shuriken to the brain.
Ultimately, you need this record in your life because listening to it makes you feel like a ninja. Until a new Slayer album comes out and make NME feel like a Viking or something, then there is no higher recommendation.

James Jam

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