This year sees the triumphant return of a duo that manage to not only think outside of the box, but burn it down completely and dance among the ashes. It is of course Josh Scogin and Michael McCellan otherwise known as ’68. The pair are now ready to unleash their vicious, sophomore studio album ‘Two Parts Viper’ into the wild.
Unlike its predecessor ‘Two Parts Viper’ actually has individual song titles rather than following the ‘Untitled’ suit of ‘In Humour and Sadness’. Instant proof that this collection of songs has stories to tell, each track a rollercoaster of raw emotions and thought provoking discovery.
Starting with the rhythmic tapping of a ring on a coffee mug, ‘Eventually We All Win’ begins with an almost gospel vocal line from Scogin that’s quickly drowned out by a grungey slab of guitar and drums enhanced with sound effects. This short burst is but a taster of what the rest of the album has to offer.
‘Whether Terrified or Unafraid’ instantly plunges into an enormous southern rock guitar riff, over which we hear Scogin’s ‘Woo’s and yelps. In an interview Josh explained that these were improvised and ad-libbed whilst recording because it helps maintain the authenticity of a live recording, one which contains all the mistakes made so that it has an entirely organic feel to it.
’68 have taken a different approach to their music with ‘Two Parts Viper’, one that covers so many genres it almost becomes genre-less completely. This album uses and explores some more melodic and post-rock elements, the likes of which were relatively unheard of for the band previously. Perfect examples of this are their most recent single ‘The Workers Are Few’ with its soaring vocal melodies and the wall of sound miraculously created by just two musicians. ‘Without Any Words’ and ‘No Montage’ also remove the band from their comfort zone, (to one that most other bands would likely consider ‘comfortable’), as they continue to explore more melodic and traditional song structures that utilise clean vocals although still retaining their ferocity. ‘Without Any Words’ sees Scogin wearing his heart on his sleeve and channelling his inner Kurt Cobain as he gloomily delivers the final line “I wish you were here, that’s all”.
Although ‘Two Parts Viper’ takes the band in several new directions all at once, they still manage to stay true to what they’ve built their reputation on. ‘This Life is Old, New, Borrowed and Blue’ and ‘Death Is a Lottery’ both encompass the use of the band’s trademark clanging, feedback heavy, discordant guitars and bluesy riffs that give it an almost punk ‘n’ roll feel at times.
There are two songs on the album that stand out in particular as they really do push the boundaries for the band as well as musical possibilities. ‘No Apologies’ twists and turns at every opportunity laden with fuzzy guitar tones at brief intervals as most of the track is spoken word. According to Scogin this song is a happy medium between an entirely spoken word track almost three times the length and “cheating” by using amps, distortion pedals and screaming as a way to convey passion.
The other stand out is album closer ‘What More Can I Say’. Once again Josh Scogin manages to make us feel the desperation in each and every word as the track builds and builds. Every other word contains more aggression than the last, layered over ambient samples and stripped down electronic effects until the eventual massive, instrumental crescendo that’s a far cry from anything the band has released to date.
‘Two Parts Viper’ is a monumental achievement for ’68 displaying countless raw emotions and oozing with attitude. It demands attention and sneers at all conventions and perimeters. Be it gimmicky or incredibly clever, ’68 have shed their skin and created something completely original, something that’s as beautiful and delicate as it is ruthless and fierce.
JAMES DAVENPORT