Until recently the only Danish musical export of note was The Raveonettes, but thanks to what's being called 'New Way Of Danish Fuck You', probably the worst/best (delete as appropriate) name for a scene ever, which is being spearheaded by critical darlings and visceral noisemakers Iceage, there's a new focus on what the country's underground has to offer. Currently that focus has been on punk, grunge, hardcore and other forms of alternative rock, much of which you can take or leave. Once the hype has diminished we're likely to be left with just a couple of survivors who managed to outgrow the insular scene and embed themselves more firmly into the upper musical echelons. Iceage seem destined to do this, but who else?
Copenhagen rockers The Woken Trees are putting forward the initial draft of their application with debut album 'NNON', a record that forges its songs from the crumbs of punk, grunge and hard rock scenes that have come and gone without adding much else to the recipe, although it comes with a side serving of goth. This in itself is not a problem at all, it's something most bands do. As for the outlook for longevity (certainly as far as continued recognition outside of their own country) is concerned, 'NNON' is a tough one to call. All of the songs here are quite good; something that will get them a foothold, but also means that they need to press ahead and aim higher if they're to really break through. The production is great, the attention to detail is too, the musicianship is not to be sniffed at, it just needs a couple more big hitters.
It's 'Yells' that stands out most, and at first there was the temptation to assume this was so due to the added familiarity of it being a single. Once further plays of the album have been undertaken you realise that it was in fact released as a single because it's possibly the best they have to offer. It's a clanging, scree-fuelled din that shudders with life. There are glimpses of potential staying power in the spooky 'Holy Water', the pummelling and screeching 'Succubus' and the moody 'Orders'. They also manage to make guitars sound metallic (as in actually metallic, not the genre metal) on several occasions. Final track 'Your Sun, Your Skull' shows they're not glued to one particular sound and makes for a maudlin ending. Elsewhere things are merely satisfactory, but The Woken Trees shouldn't be written off as one-album wonders just yet.
The Woken Trees' website
'NNON' will be available from March 11th on Pad & Pen Records
For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter
contact@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment