Saturday, March 28, 2009

Sewage in outlets

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ONE of the most irritating things about music journalism is genres.
When I was a hard rockin' teen growing up, the world was easily divided into pop, rock, dance and hip hop - with jazz, classical, opera, folk and other sad grown up musics hiding in the shadows.
Now ridiculous genres like whizzgrind and twazzmodica spring into being every other NME.
They're more trouble than their worth - I've had arguments, actual arguments, over what does and does not constitute math rock.
I say this because oxymoronic Londoners The Rank Deluxe release their debut album You Decide on Monday, showcasing a style they describe as "sewage".
They can say what they like I suppose - it's their business.
The sound of You Decide is actually a mess of punk, indie rock and reggae - a kind of soiled ska - which, as their two-toned moniker suggests, has good and bad points.
Certain tracks, such as frisky little opener Doll Queue, come ripping out of the speakers with all the ferocity of the group's renowned live shows.
However others, like Stereotypes, simply don't translate from the stage to the studio so well.
Ultimately it's not all that deluxe, but not that rank either - but is it any good?
You decide.

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