Do Me Bad Things – Yes! – 3.5/5
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Its not often I come across an artist that I enjoy that is palatable to those with less ‘metallic’ taste, but as obscure as this artist may appear they seamlessly fuse all the styles and genres presented. In the wake of the recent post-punk revival, this 9-piece band (yes, nine members) take more than the heavily blues influenced indie-rock sound in the same vein as the White Stripes, often infusing a bass laden groove with the vocal style of both hard rock and soul, adding a splash of solo’s that would make the likes of AC/DC proud, described as “the missing link between ‘The Scissor Sisters’ and ‘Led Zeppelin’,” it retains a unique flare throughout that feels altogether natural, despite the frequent change in pace and tone.
The drums are consistently worked, and whilst do little to show his prowess maintains a prominently heard and constantly changing beat forming the base layer to work from. With keyboards that all too often gets lost behind the other instruments, occasionally making their presence known, ‘filling the gaps’ in their sound and assisting in a smooth flow. In a similar fashion, the bass too feels often lost behind the other instrumentation. Much of the rhythm is carried by the guitars, with an array of simplistic – often chord based – riffs, with no shortage of melodic solos they assist with the other instrumentation in producing a thick and atmospheric, sometimes funky, other times bluesy, platform for the vocals to launch from.
And with five vocalists to choose from, you can be sure of plenty of diversity. With two (sometimes three, depending on the track) female vocals adding choral work in a soul-filled, almost gospel manner, harmonising with the other vocals it ends pleasant little touches to the track produced. From the higher-pitched Nicolai wailing in the more rock-orientated tracks, performing aptly if not remarkably so, to the deep and gravely blues-laden smooth vocals of Mark Woods, both feel overshadowed by the talents of the female lead of the group. Like a softly spoken ‘Aretha Franklin,’ she emerges with an emotional bite, rarely missing a note she sustains many of the slower tracks almost single handed.
There are a number of tracks that don’t quite hit the mark, but the sheer diversity in the style of tracks presented here; when everything does come together it’s a joy to listen to. With a particular preference for the more upbeat blues-rock laden material, this debut album would unfortunately come to be their last, and with little recognition outside of the country this is one artist that may all too shortly become forgotten entirely.
Highlights: Time for Deliverance, Sprezzatura, The Song Rides, Mollys Wood
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