Brains - Strange Meat (Sarlacc)
Brains from Cork play 70s-inspired rock and mix crusty, smoked out textures with sweating boogie to get the arses shaking. Along with the iconic hammond sound, the bass is fat n’ flat (ooooh yummy) and there’s a loose and confident feel to the playing and recording as a whole.
The vocals are loud, powerful and hooky, with cheeky harmonies sneaking in from time-to-time, really polishing the (at times) anthemic chorus sections. Part of me thinks the drums could have been recorded with better equipment – the snare, toms and cymbals seem to lack dynamics and punch that certain desert rockers have been able to nail – but then you have to wonder would doing that stifle the presumably intentional fuzzy warmth of the old skool early-70s vibe?
Think ELO on Top of the Pops (with that mind-bending psychedelic effect that the show’s producers thought wouldn’t give you nightmares and make you a chronic pants-pisser). Short on gimmickry and big on soul, this little album certainly explains why the band are whipping up crowds with ease lately.
Simple, charming and powerful. Caution: may cause the wearing of denim jackets, the nodding of heads and the extreme repeated sampling of local ales.
Strange Meat is available on vinyl through Sarlacc (Dublin) and free download on Bandcamp.
