No Joke of a Lie E.P.,
Naked TwisterYou’ve got to love it when bands, or their press writers, use some unusual genre title to describe the band then call them the best in that genre, when in reality it’s nothing largely different from anything else getting pedalled around. Me, bitter? Nah.
NAKED TWISTER are apparently tearing up the ‘NEO-PUNK’ scene across the South East over the last year which has led them to supporting MILLION DEAD, MISS BLACK AMERICA and VIOLENT DELIGHT. Now, those are three fairly large profile bands and this four-track EP was produced by Pete Lorenz who is famed for working with THE VIBRATORS and THE BUZZCOKS. I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular, but this had all the hallmarks of being a very interesting listen indeed.
Vocals are drenched with emotion but sound a tad too weak at times, lyrically I’m reminded of FEEDER, for example; “…I punch the walls as I breathe in, sweet suffocate” sounds like something off ‘Polythene’ to me and in general, NT seem to have that ‘not punk, but too rock to be indie but too different to be grunge’ feel that GRANT NICHOLAS and Co had in the late 90’s. Not that this is a bad thing at all, in fact in seems to suit the band well.
Structurally, I haven’t heard anything special; songs take the classic ‘quiet bit, loud bit’ route with a heavier breakdown section seemingly thrown in for the sake of it at times. Fourth track, ‘Changes’ ups the tempo a bit (although, it’s hardly rapid) but again fails to provide anything jaw-dropping.
To sum up this release in a solitary sentence: a few bright and promising sparks which don’t seem to ever fully ignite. Although I think there’s potential within this three-piece, I also think they haven’t quite cracked it yet, or at least, not judging from this EP.
Mike
www.nakedtwister.org
