Despite the words ‘danceable’ and ‘ballsy’ cropping up when describing TFT, this debut LP from the Leeds twosome is not at all what I expected. It’s dull as sin. Seemingly directionless and straying way too close to navel-gazing upitsownarse syndrome, the record has little in the way of redeeming features. The ‘thundering’ riffs are weaker than a particularly weak weakling and the ‘stripped down’ sound just sounds… Well – crap. Inevitable comparisons to the like of DFA1979 are going to crop up, but they are unfounded – yes, both bands are two man dancey acts, but at least DFA have some substance to what they do, and their tunes provoke at least some reaction from a listener. Unlike this, which is likely to make most listeners exude a large sigh.
Now for the flipside – I would wager a lot of money (say, thirty two pence) that TFT are a great live act and well worth the plaudits they often receive. I have never seen them play, but I do get the distinct feeling that they sound they wield is much more at home in a live environment. I also get the feeling it would recover some of the balls that have been lost via this album. Maybe if future releases did something (possibly involving magic and stuff) to capture the essence of what happens on stage then the next album will be something to get excited about.
Or maybe I’m just wrong and they are shit live. What do I know?
www.thatfuckingtank.tk
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