In the running for both the best and worst band name of all time, Mississippi two-piece Bass Drum of Death (BDOD) fuse garage and pop in a haze of stoned energetic brilliance on their debut album GB City.
Fitting both the musical and social aesthetics of the current American garage revival “movement” (i.e. they smoke weed and use Twitter), and recorded in a characteristically low fidelity (the entire album was recorded with one microphone), BDOD stay raw throughout GB City. Undeniably “pop” hooks are layered in distortion, low-end floor tom and fuzz. Adding a heavier dose of blues to the usual surf punk palette, tracks like ‘ Get Found’, ‘Velvet Itch’ and ‘High School Roaches’ delight in the repetition of their simple and dirty melodies.
Drawing an obvious influence from the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and peers such as Jeff the Brotherhood, it would be somewhat accurate (and far too easy) to brush this off as simply another middle class American attempt to cover “Louie, Louie”. Regardless, this is both the flaw and brilliance of BDOD. Bare, dirty and played with total passion and conviction, this is a band truly in love with rock’n’roll. With The Ronettes influenced “Spare Room” providing the only hint of a ballad, GB City is chaotically excellent from start to finish.
Preach the faith. I love you, Bass Drum of Death.
4/5
Bass Drum of Death – GB City
