| |
Review: |
|
I'd hate to see Motumbos Hospital's bedroom,
because if this five-track ep is anything to go by, then we're
looking at one big tip. The one word that keeps springing to
mind when I hear Motumbos Hospital is - and I'm sorry, chaps
- 'messy'. This is a shame, because with their simple recipe
of loud guitars, bass riffs, and a driving beat, as well as
a singer who sounds like a cross between James Dean Bradfield
and Brian Molko, Motumbos Hospital have a lot going for them.
Unfortunately, they come across as overly fussy, spoiling what
could be a winning combination by slowing things down unnecessarily
and changing things every few bars. Now I'm not advocating that
every band get one simple riff and make it last forever, or
every record would sound like The Fall's Repetition (though
on the other hand, maybe that's no bad thing!). But, Motumbos
Hospital remind me of when I saw Damo Suzuki live. His band
spent ages clamouring through some riffing wasteland trying
to get to a certain point, but, when they eventually got to
a kind of musical nirvana, they didn't make it pay. Instead,
they were on to the next bit instead of holding it just for
a minute. And Motumbos Hospital are guilty of this on virtually
every number here.
Sharks & Anglers opens strongly with Tallest Man Among Giants,
with a great opening Fugazi-like
riff and machine gun drums, followed by a shouty chorus that
worms its way through your defences. But, even here, there's
the odd interlude where they seem to indulge in riffing for
riffing's sake. With Krylon, which follows, is the worst
offender though. It opens with a splattering riff and pounding
drums, before it slows right down as the singer opines "I'll
still sleep well at night" over an unnecessary tuneless dirgey
bit. This does nothing to serve what was at first a promsiing
song and just leaves you wondering if the band were knackered
and needed a quick breather after a mere 45 seconds in.
Mazola Man is better, opening with a JJ Burnell-style bass and a guitar
riff that sounds like someone doing to Land of 1000 Dances
what Hendrix once did to Star Spangled Banner. The track
builds nicely, though we still get the obligatory aren't-we-clever
bits. But then they eventually get to the peak they should have
been aiming for all along. The next track, Simple, has
a real spirit of '76 feel about it, and is not unlike Fish
by the early Damned with its "who's simple?" chant and Rat Scabies-like
drum rolls. Again, the band take things down. But it is more
successful this time, because the slowed down bit with its more
memorable melody adds something. However, I'm not sure it needs
yet another riff at the end though, especially as that part
is like something that your local metal band would try and impress
us with.
The disc finishes with Frightened / Numb which is probably the best
track on the ep, with its ferocious riff. Bizarrely, there's
also a bit where the vocals sound like Freddie Mercury. Still,
there's real power as the track builds and drops beautifully
with some nice Sonic
Youth like touches.
I know this review has dwelt on what I feel are the negatives,
but I think there's promise here. Certainly, there's a good
EP trying to get out somewhere, but Motumbos Hospital definitely
need to stop trying to impress us so much. If it's good enough,
it'll happen anyway. Only Robbie Williams fans love a show-off
and Motumbos Hospital have got to curb their excesses.
|
|
