Cougar Microbes

Yo ‘WHY?’ I’m real happy for ya and I’ma let you finish….. BUT Tubelord’s ‘Our First American Friends’ is the best late contender for album of the year 2009.

Released on 12th October the Kingston (London) quartet’s offering showcases angular guitar hooks, vocals which meander effortlessly from harmony to cacophony, and a determination to keep song structures interesting and varied. Add a couple of recurring themes to the mix and you’ve got yourself a group who understand the craft of writing an album as opposed to a collection of songs.

Tubelord bravely draw on less fashionable post hardcore acts from the turn of the millennium. Think Piebald crossed with And None of Them Knew They Were Robots, with big The Get Up Kids style harmonies.

One slight criticism that I have is with the placement of tracks. The first half of the album flies past while the second half comes across as more contemplative in tone. While this in itself is a nice idea the effect is that the album does lose a little momentum on first listen. However, as the songs become more familiar this undoubtedly becomes less and less of a negative feature.

While ‘Our New American Friends’ may not quite make enough of a late surge to claim my highly coveted ‘album of the year’ gong it wins ‘top debut album of 2009’, hands down.

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post by Kenny the mischievous

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TRACKS:

Tubelord – Propeller

Today’s Cougar pick are a band hailing from Utah, Nevada and Arizona, just in case one state doesn’t satisfy you. Shark Speed describe their music as ‘progressive’ though personally I prefer to go with melodic ‘post-punk with pop sensibilities’. Listening to debut album ‘Sea Sick Music’ it is immediately that these boys are incredibly competent musicians and song writers.

Compare their sound to the likes Minus The Bear, Bear Vs Shark (just to continue with the animal theme), Jets To Brazil and Piebald and other luminaries from that early 00′s alt-rock revival. It has to be said that the fact that Shark Speed draw from their influences rather than completely rip them off is a point in the band’s favour.

A slight criticism that can be made is that perhaps a little bit of an extra vocal hook is missing to propel the band into the big leagues. However, with the addition of trumpets and a great sounding recording there is plenty of spark in this release to indicate that this four-piece are definitely one to keep an eye on. ‘Sea Sick Music’ is a perfect companion for the summer.

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Guest post by Kenny The Menace.

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TRACKS:

Shark Speed – Cast Off Dance Off

Shark Speed – Freddy