Another nice surprise. No Choice hail from Wales and play an powerfully kinetic brand of old fashioned punk rock that has the momentum of a hurricane, while still managing to be pertinent to the issues that they hold dear without seeming patronising or clichéd. An achievement in this day and age when every shitty band can throw in a “Yeah man…like, fuck George Bush…he’s like…an asshole!†to blind adulation. Rest assured, there are no “Scream if you hate war and don’t like school!†moments here.
Fans of the superb McLusky will certainly appreciate the rolling, bass-led opening track ‘If Logic’s First (We’re Coming Second)’, with scratchy guitars and thudding bass pushing along the throaty vocals with more than a hint of melody in amongst the frenetic drumming. To be honest it’s nothing no one hasn’t heard before in one form or another but coupled with other stormers like ‘Book Cooking’ it really highlights how comfortable the band are with switching pace from a really hard edged sound to a slightly slower, deeper one. It adds a sense of depth in otherwise simple songs and may seem like a cheap punk rock ploy, but the fact is that No Choice have a ferocity that sets them aside from so many bands around right now.
It’s not all good news though. The title track is alarmingly frustrating, in that it veers annoyingly from arty post-rock style juddering rhythms to a hook-laden chorus that is disorientating to say the very least. It’s like the band have too many ideas; either that or they’re trying desperately to avoid classification. Either way there is evidence that more than adequately suggests they can (and should) write more songs like the reflective yet heartfelt ‘Scale Climbers Revenge’. ‘Bitter Vicar’ also shows that No Choice are at their strongest when not trying to push the boundaries, and instead concentrate on putting their foot down and pummelling through another punk rock song.
Although it’s just another contradiction that the brooding, seething ‘Prey’ is a really powerful song, even though it’s by far the slowest on the album. It’s an atmospheric slow-burner that works its way into your head then lays eggs which subsequently hatch and eat your brain. In the best way possible of course. But then ‘Come My Hour’ rolls along and the pace is upped again. As a whole ‘Dry River Fishing’ is an accomplished set of songs, all stamped with an authority of almost Bouncing Souls-like punk rock liberally dabbed with enough melodic interludes to kill a small horse. It’s unexpected, because they’re not the highest profile of bands but you really would be advised to check this out if you like cerebral and abrasive punk rock.
Ben