A Giant Dog – ‘Pile’

A Giant Dog were formed from the ashes of a covers band. Taking on tracks by AC/DC, Ramones, and Joan Jett, it laid the foundation for what A Giant Dog would become; a storming rock ‘n’ roll force. On this, their third LP, the influence of their heroes shines through, and pays enough homage to the past while carrying enough attention grabbing swagger to sound current.

At 15 tracks deep you would imagine this to be a lengthy endurance trip, however the songs fly by at supersonic rate. Their sordid tales of sex, drugs, and depravity are well crafted, and utterly infectious throughout, barely giving you a chance to catch your breath from one track to the next.

Amongst the clatter of unrelenting drumbeats and the grit of frenetic guitar riffs there is an earnest sense of melody. At times it feels like A Giant Dog don’t really want to be melodic, but it finds its way through regardless. It makes ‘Pile’ all the more inviting. Vocalist Sabrina Elliott channels the best parts of Pat Benatar, Chrissie Hynde and Juliet Lewis, switching between a sultry lower register and high range wails at the drop of hat.

It is her note perfect pitch that brings a large degree of the melody to the raucous cacophony that provides the backbone of ‘Pile’. She leaves nothing to the imagination in her honest delivery. “I can watch you die and not feel a thing,” she proclaims over the driving garage rock of ‘Creep’, before confessing “I cant even remember being young” amongst the disjointed piano lines of ‘Sex & Drugs’.

As ‘Pile’ progresses, it’s clear that A Giant Dog’s modus operandi is to rock as hard possible. They even declare, “There’s no shame in fucking rock ‘n’ roll” on the Thin Lizzy worship of ‘& Rock & Roll’. They rarely let the speed drop below 100mph, and the volume on ‘Not A Miracle’ and ‘I’ll Come Crashing’ is evidently turned up to 11. The only reprieve from the chaos of ‘Pile’ comes in the form of debauched love ballad, ‘Get With You and Get High’, but you can’t help falling in love with it as much as the rest of the album.

‘Pile’ is an outcasts album, made by degenerates, who know how to work their charm. A Giant Dog haven’t messed around and made a feel good record just in time for summer.

GLEN BUSHELL