A Place To Bury Strangers – Onwards to The Wall

It’s pleasant and certainly toe-tapping but stuff like So Far Away is far too reminiscent of bands I listened to back in the mid ‘80s to make any sort of point to me as to why I should swap my old records for this.

It’s pleasant and certainly toe-tapping but stuff like So Far Away is far too reminiscent of bands I listened to back in the mid ‘80s to make any sort of point to me as to why I should swap my old records for this.

 

http://www.deadoceans.com http://www.konkurrent.nl

 

Well, this is a considerable move on from their first works. A Place to Bury Strangers seem to have become moodier since their debut – with this EP the band seem more like a volcano that is content to emit the odd growl to keep us on our toes rather than suddenly drown us in rivers of molten lava.

I Lost You is a great opener and possibly the best track on the EP, it’s visceral guitar sound is tremendous, nicking from Sergeant and McGeogh, whereas the drumming has the crushing certainty of an overheating industrial press going flat out. After this track my attention starts to wander, sadly as the rest of the EP can feel a bit flat in comparison. It’s pleasant and certainly toe-tapping but stuff like So Far Away is far too reminiscent of bands I listened to back in the mid ‘80s to make any sort of point to me as to why I should swap my old records for this. The EP seems too happy to remain sat in a corner making vague “subtle” or non-descript gestures. Which is a shame as one or two moments on Nothing Will Surprise Me or Drill It Up do hit the spot with their disjointed and clattering noise.

It’s okay at best.