Taken fromMmmm, Juicy! fanzine #4
A very welcome outing this from We Can Build You, partly because they feature former MJ! contributor Holl(i)y on bass and partly because they derive their name from a Philip K. Dick novel title, which will always get you extra Brownie points from this scribe. The fact that Holl(i)y has now jumped ship to write for R*E*P*E*A*T (what is it with them this issue? You can't get away from them.) means that in theory I should be particularly harsh on We Can Build You in order to play to the letter of their "be more critical" edict. This would be rather unfair, however, as there's a lot of promise in this. Sounding something like American agit-punkers Nation Of Ulysses might have done if they had been fronted by Babes In Toyland's Kat Bjelland, they make a kind of simply structured, avant-garde, feedback-laden noise topped off with lyrics which owe a great deal to Holy Bible era Manics and Unknown Pleasures era Joy Division, with perhaps a slight nod to some of Hole's more self-lacerating moments. The recording is slightly hampered by the inexperience of the band, (it's not as tight as it might be, and some of the timing is a bit wayward,) but the production of the thing is pretty much spot-on, with the chorus of "In And Out" being particularly striking.
The fact that the band feature a member listed as "Attila the drums on Ben"(eh?) and a lad called Archie who is credited simply with "Noise Guitar" are obviously further points in their favour, as is the fact that the back cover design of the CD is credited to "Holl(i)y's Dad"
Not party music, then and by no means flawless, but an impressively distinctive debut, nonetheless. More please.
Yalson
