El Vampiro Attack (CD version),
DoliumYou probably know that saying about how people who ignored history are condemned to repeat it. You probably used it in a trendy way in some A-Level essay. Well, it’s a really good point. And is especially important when it comes to music. You might think you have a fresh sound, but Kid Dynamite probably did it a decade ago.
So, onto Manchester’s Dolium, a male/female duo who have presented us with this 4 track EP. To sound a bit edgy is clearly the plan – the outcome is more a case of just producing music so basic it defies belief. Now I know the trend at the moment, it’s so kitsch that even the bird from Bis is back for a second bite of the cherry, but you have to have something new. This, well imagine Atari Teenage Riot, minus the riot. That is what this is. It grates even more for a punk fan, because a lot of NME readers (I think anyway) don’t really know what truly fast music is. It’s easier as a reviewer for a punk zine to recognize bad attempts at fast music. This is one. It’s really just the backing music from one of the most generic of ’77 punk bands, with trendy sounding vocals.
My verdict is simple – it’s not all about technique in music. But you can’t polish a turd.
Mike
