THE SOUND EX - review added 26th January 2009
Album Review: Palomino (2008)
For fans of: alternative rock... and horses?
According to Wikipedia, palomino is a colour in horses consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. No idea what this has to do with either rock music, the name of the band or the cover art but I'm sure there's a wonderful hidden meaning somewhere.
The Sound Ex, also known as 'The Sound Explosion', hail from Newcastle Upon Tyne in England. Known for excessive drinking of soupy ale and an incomprehensible accent, the Newcastle connection with the band's music soon becomes obvious.
The Sound Ex's style is as rough and ready as a junkyard dog in a ditch. The album was produced by Paul Reeve (Muse, Supergrass) but you'd be hard pushed to tell. If the Neanderthal people still existed, this is what they would be recording. The guitars thrash around in an off-key and unimaginative way, the drum rhythms are broken and very 'of the moment'. The vocals, although characterful, consist of shouting and slurred nonsense.
The start of 'Pastlife' sounds like two entirely different songs playing at the same time. If you've ever opened up a couple of musical MySpace pages at once you'll know the feeling. 'Born Into The Grave' is only a few marks above white noise. There aren't any big choruses or massive sing along verses. For a band whose career started playing grimy clubs and pubs in the north of England, I'd have thought drunken anthems would be a must have. Apparently not.
There is little finesse on display in Palomino, but equally this style is very 'in' at the moment. The music may be trendy, but I prefer my recordings to have a timeless quality. The Sound Ex, judging by this, are as timeless as a lame horse.
Ah, that's the connection!
Check out... 'KIMB' and '9 Mile Ride'. Still a bit rubbish, but kind of memorable.
Track List:
1. Enchantment
2. Pastlife
3. Loss
4. Everything Will Be Fine
5. Shaking Games
6. Royal Blood
7. KIMB
8. Born into the Grave
9. 9 Mile Ride
10. Let It Turn
11. Palomino
Label: DR2 Records
Artist's websites: The Sound Ex , MySpace
