…make no bones about it, we at Incendiary think this is a stupendous record. Tough, sassy, incredibly consistent, and possessing the kind of strength of character and wit that is all too rare nowadays.
…make no bones about it, we at Incendiary think this is a stupendous record. Tough, sassy, incredibly consistent, and possessing the kind of strength of character and wit that is all too rare nowadays.
Wooden Constructions have a reputation as being a great live band: one of those acts that you just have to see. They are, and yes, you do, but a lot of the applause Wooden Constructions deservedly get rests on the audience’s reaction to singer Gover Meit’s extraordinary onstage gymnastics. And that’s a shame because focusing on his stage presence tends to put this great set of songs in the shade somewhat.
Because make no bones about it, we at Incendiary think this is a stupendous record. It’s tough, sassy, incredibly consistent, and possessing the kind of strength of character and wit that is all too rare nowadays. Meit’s delivery is magnificent throughout, acting out the role of a cod-preacher; sometimes hamming matters up as in Punch in the Face, or sometimes acting out some soliloquy or conversation in the mirror – such as on the brilliant Kadouche. Sometimes we find him – as deadpan as you like -expostulating some whacky theory or stream of consciousness in a manner that can be quite unsettling. In this there is something incredibly reminiscent about David Byrne in his Fear of Music / Remain in Light pomp. It feels that authoritative, however daft or oblique the message. And that we are able to run with his fantasising so easily says a hell of a lot about the musical backdrop he acts over.
It’s just that these songs are just so strong and assured – Full Brother is a brilliantly restrained track, driven by incremental increases in pressure and tempo- the bass keys throb menacingly somewhere in the track’s hinterland whilst the Meit’s paranoid vocal take has something of Lux Interior about it. Sampla Bagannar is an agreeably druggy mantra and No Toys in Playground and Quality are low grade, slightly absurd disco rumbles given direction by some chiming guitar riffs. They both have the quality of being instantly stuck in your head after about two plays. Outside of Kadouche the highlight has to be the brilliantly spooky duo of Rhythm Section and Chikapunga, both dropping the tempo to allow a huge and echoing backdrop to build up around Meit’s fantasising. And all too suddenly they’re over, brilliant. 400E is a marvellous ending to the LP: searing guitar line cuts through the track like a chainsaw through wood and the effects are let loose to end matters on a bang.
This is a great record, it really is. We really ask you to get listening to this.