Some Sort of Freak have been playing their unique brand of twisted grunge since the mid-90’s, and whilst their first incarnations as Bleach and their earliest days as Freak saw them churning out a more recognisable grunge sound, things have moved on considerably in the last few years – both in sound and song writing. Which brings us onto There’s Something Evil About Latex, the bands second demo CD. Although it was recorded close to two years ago (so doesn’t quite do them the justice they deserve) it still shows what they’re capable of. Which is penning and performing individual nuggets of alterno-rock goodness. That’s a shit description, so I’ll just move onto the individual tracks, ok? Good. Make sure the seats are in the up-right position and don’t forget to tip the taxi driver.
SYNCHRONISED DROWNING
Oh yes. It sounds like the guitar’s been made out of cheese-graters, which has then been used to churn out a heavy surf rhythm. Splendid! One of the grooviest riffs I’ve ever heard in my life. However, the first annoyance comes into play here (for me at least). The kickdrum. Now, the rest of the drumkit sounds delicious, but I really really can’t stand kicks that go *tap* *tap* *tap* instead of *thud* *thud* *thud*. This is really just a minor niggle, though, so don’t let that put you off. Parts of the guitar also remind me of Smashing Pumpkins, particularly just after the main riff. The vocals are clean and crisp, with just enough anger to make them mean something, rather then needless shouting or nu-metal stylee pseudo-angst.
Another aspect of SSOF that is shown straight away is the quirky sense of humour. Actually, quirky’s a rather misleading term, but how else can I describe their Pixies-influenced humour? Wait, I just did. My main complaint is this song is just under 3 and a half minutes, and feels much shorter. MORE!!!!
WHAT IF I SHOULD
And we get it. Very mellow, with somewhat watery lounge-esque guitar. The bass comes to the listener’s attention much easier in this song, and compliments the soft verse perfectly, filling in the gaps nicely. Then the chorus shout of “Malaria” and another groovy riff that ping pongs around before going back into the verse. Rinse and repeat. Then gorgeous feedback screaming in over a sparse break, leading to the 5 minute mark crops up and a suitable solo-laced ending. The longest track on the CD, and one of the best. Certainly for the vocals and bass, both of which come into their own on this baby.
UNTIL THE END
More mellow watery-wah shenanigans, with the vocals on a decidedly impressive mournful trip. Very smooth. The drums and guitars are perhaps a bit too busy to make this truly chilled-out, but it serves as a showcase of a more straightforward side to ‘the Freak’. I was determined not to call the band something as painful as that, but what ya gonna do? Eh? This is also quite short (3 and a half minutes) and doesn’t really feel like it’s gone where it should have.
IMPOSING ON MY ANTI
Brilliant. The drums really get to do something on this song, and the vocal refrain of “Teen Wolf” a gratuitous amount of times is absurd, but fantastic. The bass provides a decent groove underneath the razor-sharp guitars and funked-up drum patterns, with a cool lead solo threatening to veer off into screeching noise. Which it does. I’m the first to praise wanton feedback and fx-riddled noise, yet this just ends far too soon.
Overall, some very good songs, with every member getting room to breathe, but the songs are too short and feel like they could go somewhere else (or at least keep going a bit longer). Having seen these guys performing live loads of times, I can safely say that they are heavier, and full of energy; it’s just a case of successfully transferring this to shiny plastic. Remember this is over a year old, so it’s not quite their full potential. 8.5 out of 10. Like The Pixies fighting with Sonic Youth. See them live!!!!!!!!
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