Lil Daggers formed in Miami in 2008 and this is apparently their third release. And if you're wondering how it came to be issued on a Scottish label – the rather good Song, By Toad Records that is also home to Mersault and King Post Kitsch - then let Mr Toad explain...
“Mrs. Toad always knows when I am going to get into something. She walked into the room when this was first playing and asked what it was. I said it had just arrived in my inbox, and she told me that I was going to like it. Eh? I said. 'Well, it's rough and a bit atonal and the singer sounds like he's not really arsed – basically it's right up your street'. And she's right, it really is.”
Now I've never met either Mr or Mrs Toad, but this EP is right up my street, too. The title track King Corpse opens proceedings, building like The Mekons post-punk classic Where Were You before some 60s organ (the type that Clint Boon was very fond of!) bursts in. It's kind of reminiscent of very early Fall and there's even a few bars where Television briefly spring to mind before that opening building riff comes again, but this time as a finale. It's a cracker.
Devil You Know is more throwaway, not unlike The Strokes having a bash at rockabilly, but it's enjoyable all the same. And there's one of those great amateurish guitar solos I've been a sucker for since the days of punk.
Ya Tu Sabe opens with a tribal beat and bass riff before that organ enters the fray and their drummer starts pounding away as if his life depended on it. Eat The Rich is another where The Strokes come to mind, with the vocals sounding like a muffled Julian Casablancas. There's a neat, brief snatch of atonal guitar on this one, but it's the title track that you're going to keep coming back to. Yeah, that one's a bit special!
Available on 7” white vinyl or download from the Song, By Toad Records website. Get it while you can – you won't hear many better singles all year.
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