the scaramanga six - strike up the band
an interesting one.
trying to ignore my fondness for the origins of this lot (leeds ls6) i found my myself grooving to this far more then i expected.
opening with a spooky electro voice and noises this then lets rip into a full on mad 47 minutes, one minute coming over like a demented jello biafra fronting a carnival band from hell, next we're into a garage stomper - best example being 'too cool for skool' - corny title - but who cares when the glam stomp is making you smile like a cheshire cat on acid. the beats change several times every minute. aural disorientation. the bass is used as a weapon as opposed to urging the listener to dance this makes you wonder where on earth they are going next, vocals are treated and doubled up on most tracks.
is this punked up funk - or is it puked up fun ?
best comparison so far is the excellent one lady owner crossed with early devo. have the band heard the fatima mansions ? that band also had a similar sonic eclectism and a healthy desire for subverting the classic 3 minute pop song. the scara six are definite followers of the cause.
despite all the strangeness several tracks here have fantastic elements of melody and originality.
the music media are going to have a tough time pidgeon-holing this lot, which will probably result in them being ignored, which is a real shame as this is one of the most genuinely original things i've heard in quite a while. the only real drawback is the obvious lack of budget, this is very evident in parts making some tracks come over as stripped down demos - but evenso there is a spark of excellence within.
in short - fuckin' excellent quirky noisy fun.