Band: Loom
Release: Lice (EP)
Release Date: Out Now
We near the end of the year; thoughts start turning and ears start attuning to what 2014 will hold in store for new music. During this period of reflection, where magazines and blogs alike are naming their Top Albums of 2013 and making their predictions for 2014, Loom have released their new EP.
The EP opens with the title track ‘Lice’. The song crashes into existence with a ferocity that signals Loom’s intent; the drums thrash and the guitars chime, drenched in Grunge fuzz. Tarik Badwan sings the lyrically repetitive verse in a monotonous baritone then lurches into a Cobain-esque throat-shredding refrain of ‘get out of my head!’ before finally ascending into a squalling and aggressive chorus. It’s heavy… you could argue that this heaviness is essential in covering up the lack of a really memorable melody either vocally or instrumentally during a large proportion of the track. This is until the (for want of a better phrase) ‘guitar solo’ drops and provides the most engaging part of ‘Lice’. By the end of the track it is clear that despite the rollicking nature of ‘Lice’, there is something quite unadventurous about it; the structure is a linear verse, pre-chorus, chorus, repeat affair and the lyrics don’t develop, just regurgitate the key phrases over and again. These criticisms aside, ‘Lice’ does have a certain ‘thrash punk played in a garage’ charm to it and on a surface level does exactly what it sets out to do; batter your ear drums until your head starts banging.
Elsewhere on the EP ‘Acid King City’ centers around a riff that sounds a little like a grunged up ‘Children of the Revolution’ and a cover of early 90’s noise band The Jesus Lizard’s ‘Seasick’ features an unhinged vocal from Badwan that croons in places and yells maniacally in others… which is pretty damn exciting. ‘Salt’ is perhaps the most accomplished track on the EP with an almost Sex Pistols-esque propulsion to the driving hi-hats of the drums and the chugging power chords of the guitars. The vocal melodies are significantly more developed here than on the other tracks and Badwan’s performance and lyrics give the listener far more to emotionally invest in than the unfocused mayhem of ‘Lice’.
So will Loom take 2014 by storm? The songs on this EP display a passion and ferocity which I imagine is wonderfully compelling when witnessed at a gig; however on record, a lack of memorable melodies may leave some listeners cold. The potential is certainly there; if Loom can couple their intensity with some stronger hooks they could develop into a riotously joyous proposition.
6/10
Reviewer: Joel Alexander
