EP REVIEW AUDIO JUSTICE
1. PEANUT BLUES www.audiojustice.net
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'Bored Games' is the latest self-financed release from Herefordshire trio Audio Justice. Weighing in at the lighter end of the scales, their sound is based around the more traditional and pop-orientated side of rock. It’s actually quite a quirky sound that at it’s best would have fitted into the UK rock scene perfectly during the late seventies. ‘Peanut Blues’ sounds kind of like a cheap Weezer pastiche with that cheesy ‘shiny teeth’ feel and is rather feeble. The second track ‘Happy Ending’ is such a rip-off of ‘Weak’ by Skunk Anansie that it shouldn’t be allowed - the main riff is so close it sounds like a cover version and kind of drains away most of your respect for this band. ‘Time’ has a nice blues rock groove to it (AKA Ocean Colour Scene) and is easily the best song on the EP, whereas the last track ‘Snakes And Ladders’ reminds you of very early Budgie complete with the Pete Shelley style vocals. By and large sounding like something out from the late 1970’s New Wave Of British Heavy Metal with blues - maybe Praying Mantis or similar - they have the staid sound of a band at their very early stages. An inexperienced vibe with a feeling of trying to produce a sound that’s a little different to what is generally coming out of the rock scene at the moment - even if they didn’t manage to produce originally constructed songs every time. The result though comes across as very understated, with even the production being thin and having the guitars very low in the mix. Maybe this is to increase the college appeal and to percolate a rock-based sound to the widest audience possible but certainly distances it further away from the current rock underground scene. This EP leaves you with mixed feelings that were always going to be toppled by the theft from Skunk Anansie but somehow still leaves you with hope. Rigsby (30th December, 2002) |
