Oct 30, 2008

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours (Aarght/Shock 2008)

Hailing from In(High)Fidelity's musical and spiritual home of Melbourne, Australia, Eddy Current Suppression Ring hark back to a time when Australian bands like The Saints and Radio Birdman played brash, bratty rock'n'roll - and played it well. In a time when it is increasingly difficult to find a rock'n'roll band who plays just that: good, old-fashioned, meat-and-potatoes rock'n'roll; Eddy Current Suppression Ring need no bells or whistles to set themselves apart from the pack.
Drums, bass and guitars lock on to a groove; singer, Brendan Suppression, sings-speaks-screams over the top of a mighty fine raucous sound, and everyone is happy - i.e. all the folks here at In(High)Fideltity HQ.
The grooves are catchy as hell and embed themselves deep into your sub-conscious. It is just like that time when you and your mates were driving at high speed up the Hume Highway, listening to Neu!, just before ducking into the Dubbo zoo.
Brendan Suppression's lyrics are at times playful, yet for the most part, are poignant reflections of life in these troubled times (though he would probably never admit as much). The band leaves all pretension at the door, and yet, their ability to write intelligent songs - while never abandoning the brashness - is something to behold. Colour Television is perhaps the greatest anti-T.V. song since the Disposable Heroes Of Hyhoprisy's early 90's classic, Television. While, I Admit My Faults, is a man owning the fact that he is imperfect - something quite a few people should come to terms with.
The album's pinnacle, though, is the rip-roaring Which Way To Go - a sure bet for our end-of-year, best of 2008 list. Meat and potatoes never tasted so good.

Key Tracks: Which Way To Go, Wrapped Up, Colour Television, I Admint My Faults.

Check Out: http://www.myspace.com/eddycurrentsuppressionring