ManPlayingKazoo are a little
more serious than their monicker might suggest. It's
heart-on-sleeve catharsis time once more.
This three-track demo from the Nottingham quartet is a
mixed affair. The band play incredibly tightly, and know
their way around both a riff and an atmospheric mid-section
(particularly on the Muse-y "Packed"). I suspect
that they may well be absolutely great live. They also
have a fucking awesome guitarist in their ranks, as a high-speed
widdle on third track "Black & White" demonstrates.
On record they are let down by a production that doesn't
allow the guitars to ever challenge the drums for sonic
dominance on the loud bits (though the softer sections
work excellently). It's also a shame that they put
the weakest of the three tracks, "Friendly Guy",
as the lead. The vocals don't sit so comfortably
in the mix, and are a little weaker than on the following
tracks, and the song-writing doesn't have the same
assured confidence.
It always sounds a little patronising to mention the packaging
in a review (damning with faint praise and all that), but
the artwork really is top-notch for a demo. The best I've
seen, in fact.
But even without the artwork (and, oooh
get you, multimedia content), this is a strong demo, showcasing
another of Nottingham's rising rock outfits. We expect
to hear more from them.
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