More Haste More Speed,
Phinius GageWhen I first heard Phinius Gage's 'Econ EP' I have to be honest and say that I wasn't overly impressed. These Brighton skate-punks had put out a record that had a few good tracks but wasn't blessed with too many moments of sheer quality. In the period since I first heard that release I've become good friends with the band and they've helped to spread the word about Punktastic as much as we have helped to promote Phinius Gage. When I heard that they were planning on recording 'More Haste More Speed' I was a little concerned as to how this new record would turn out. Would it be a carbon copy of their previous effort, promising so much but ultimately failing to come up with goods? Nope, not a bit - because this album is a touch of class, both more mature and generally more well-rounded than their previous effort. Not only that, but Phinius Gage have found their sound - and they couldn't be more proud of being British.
Phinius Gage formed in December 2000 and was originally made up of Damo, Ade, Matt and Martyn. They recorded the aforementioned 'Econ EP' in April 2001 and went off playing as many gigs as they could in support of it. But from this point on, somewhere down the line the band changed direction from a bunch of UK boys playing American skate-punk to becoming Phinius Gage, a band that have stamped their own hallmark on the UK scene. It's a little like Consumed, but in my opinion better. Moving Ade on to frontman duties and adding Matt's backing vocals into the mix has not done them any harm either and the introduction of a second guitarist, Pie, adds a fuller sound.
'More Haste More Speed' is the product of three days in the studio with uber-knob twiddler Ian Wetherell and somehow he has done it again, getting a sound that perfectly suits what the band are trying to do. PG sound all the better for having a slick, yet not too slick tone and having some cracking songs to boot, this record could well be the one that breaks them out of Brighton. 'Think For Yourself', at over three-and-a-half minutes in length, is the longest track here and certainly one of the best. Ade's vocals are distinctly British yet the sound never comes across as being forced, like I criticised Consumed for when they released 'Hit For Six'. 'Home And Away', a song about 'being away from your bird' has a great riff and some fantastic drumming. It has a driving tempo which also inspires more than a little air drumming.
'Sick Mick' is a bit daft and if there's one thing I could fault the band on it is their ability to sing a little too much about their in-jokes. While this may be funny to anyone in and around the band, it comes across as a little trite to everyone else. Phinius Gage are at their best when they go a little political on us and 'Fire's Burning' is one of their best moments both lyrically and musically. With a fantastic guitar riff it would be easy to mistake this release with one of the more established UK efforts. 'The Wonderful' is fast and furious and, excuse the pun, sounds wonderful for it. The chorus here is also spot-on, almost a fist-in-the-air anthem, as is the clever 'Timmy'. Not a song about the classic South Park character unfortunately, this is an anti-straight edge anthem having a go back at anyone who tries to ram that belief down your throat. Of course preaching about the preachers is treading on dodgy ground - but Phinius Gage escape unharmed.
I completely agree with 'Stop Hitting Me' another clever track which spits blood at those people who go to gigs and punch, kick and spit at everyone in sight. Allegedly written because singer Ade is on the short side, it shows that not all songs have to be about breaking someone's heart to hit the spot. On the scale of fantastic riffs 'Different Dream' would be up there with the best of 2002. It's a sonic blast that when combined with some intelligent basslines and drumming creates a monster of an effort which deserves to be heard. Even the silly 40-second blast of 'We Swear Too Much', which contains the best gang vocal 'wo-ah' this side of a Pennywise album, sounds fantastic. It's actually very true - there are probably more swear words here than on the average Eminem record.
In all this is an album that is well worthy of 30 minutes of your time. At times intelligent, at times daft - but the majority of the time this is great stuff. Yet another UK band that looks set to break out and become a force in the underground scene and another great example that you don't have to look abroad to find some fantastic young bands.
Paul
