Another offering from N Wales' finest - Spam Javelin. This time the brand new ‘Point To The Dolly EP’.
On offer are 10 tracks but with a twist. The opening track is the title track and instantly the sound is very recognisable, monster bass tone from Tracey, I'm envious of how she achieves her sound, Llion is still smashing the kit to death and Neil's guitar is as busy as always whilst he is still adamant on ripping his throat out to hurl at the listener with his angst ridden vocals and lyrics. The song is typical of Spam's sound, short and to the point, one minute, twenty seconds later the song fades into the mythical ether and vanishes. A solid opener.
Crud's guitar and a sweet little bass run open up ‘Urban Guerilla’. This is a cover of the Hawkwind track and a more upbeat and faster paced track than the first. It allows the listener to sit back slightly and enjoy the quieter, serene intricacies as it changes and fluctuates.
‘Bullshit Detector’ (non Crass related) bursts into life and slams you against the wall, leaving you stunned and gasping for breath as Neil screams Liar at you!! Then as quickly as it begins the light of the song is switched off after only 46 seconds but this isn't the shortest track on the EP, that moniker belongs to Grief Whore. Lasting a whole 30 seconds, verse chorus, verse double chorus.... job done. Message is delivered loud and clear, why spend three minutes to say what you can say in half a minute?
‘Rate, Like, Subscribe’ is next. A more subdued number highlighting social media and the shit that follows with it, please like me, please like this, aren't I great..... etc. You get the message.
So that is the first five tracks out of the way, now comes the twist. We enter in to the "Fake Suite" zone. Five mixes of the same song, that song being The Man Don't Give A Fake. The first mix of the song I assume is the original as I've seen them perform this number live. Tracy's excellent bass-work and Llion's thunderous drums grab you in the proverbial area and push you along, whether you're willing or not. Neil informs us that they don't give a fuck about anyone else then he plunges himself into some sublime fret and guitar work all the while reminding us that they don't listen.
The first remix, track seven, is done by Jamie NoDoubt. The sound is totally not what you would expect from Spam Javelin, you need to think outside of the box and familiarise yourself with bands like Front Line Assembly, Die Krupps, Das Ich, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, etc. You get the idea, think Industrial. The first Jamie NoDoubt mix is very reminiscent of Das Ich, well in my opinion it is.
The next remix is by Skinflick, if you like Front 242 then you'll love this. Without actually being there in the studio, it's difficult to determine how much of the original song is evident in this remixed version, only guitar and some vocals as the drums track appears to be by a drum machine. It works though as the keys weave and meander, working their magic.
Track 9 is the second remix by Jamie NoDoubt. This is much softer. Listen to bands of the same ilk as The Orb, Curve and Orbital and you'll get a general idea of where this track is heading. Listening to it, one can imagine lying on a dead still pond and just floating away into the distance, heading towards the horizon and getting lost forever. A proper chilled out, atmospheric experience.
The last remix is the Heading The Shed Remix. It carries on from where the Jamie NoDoubt Remix 2 ended. You're still floating on the water, that is until the ethereal experience ceases to be. The waves lift up and slowly begins to drag you into the underbelly of some seedy American club with heavy duty industrial noise blasting from the speakers, think Rammstein and you there. The crescendo rises then ebbs away and repeats this, to-ing and fro-ing formula. It's my particular favourite of the four remixes. I’m not sure whether the remix element was an experiment to be repeated by the band or not but if I was to conclude, I would put a massive big fat tick by it and score it 5 out of 5.
Overall a fine CD, the Javelins maintain their most excellent offerings and in my opinion, one of the best bands on the current live scene. How Neil manages to produce quality music whilst running his link2wales website and his radio show, I have no idea but he along with Tracey and Llion continue to produce the goods. Catch them live soon, buy their CDs and merch. But most importantly, keep supporting your local live music scene, else we fear losing it. Over and out.
Words: Dave Whyte, Photos: Band Media/Richie Yates
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spamjavelinuk
Bandcamp: https://spamjavelin.bandcamp.com
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