I think there must be something in the water down in deepest, darkest London. With Oz bands seemingly back in fashion with The Vines screaming down the charts, both Deck Cheese and Household Name Records have snapped up bands from the other side of the world, bringing in New Zealanders Sommerset and Aussies Thinktank respectively. HHN are the first to release a record and ‘Here Is The Moment’ is a decent sounding slice of emo/punk that is well worthy of a listen.
A combination of Thinktank‘s two previously released EPs, the band have already toured with the likes of Millencolin and Rival Schools Down Under, since they formed in 1997. The key to the band’s success is keeping things simple and melodic, with Darren Thompson’s distinctive vocals combining beautifully with some melodic riffs provided by Shane Shepherd. It’s nothing too complex but everything comes out well, specifically the opening two songs ‘Pale’ and ‘Of Childhood Kings’ which mould carefully crafted choruses with some chugging melodies. ‘In Anger’ is another standout track, with Darren’s vocals a focal point. The album is self-produced too and rumour has it that the frontman is quite adept at stepping behind the desk and delivering the goods. With this record the production is almost spot-on; chunky and slick without ever coming across too sickly.
Combing their pure sound with some ingenious lyrical hooks, the likes of the chugging ‘Here Is The Moment’ and punchier ‘As Trees Walking’ showing how adpet the band are at mixing styles. The latter comes across like a more lightweight Alkaline Trio, such is the potent concoction of styles. ‘Suitor’ is all drums and guitars, exploding from all angles and reaching for the jugular, while the instrumental ‘Final Breath’ is the band at their most experimental, featuring some fantastic off-kilter drumming from Cameron Agnew. It leads into the majestic ‘The Apologist’, my favourite song from the record. Lyrically superb, the track is a first-person look at an apologetic nature – probably a tale of heartbreak with a happy ending – with the classy “through clouded eyes we see the brightest shining star, I’d like to take this time to thank you that I’m found” refrain. The deftness of that track is replaced with the up-tempo and straightforward melodic rock of ‘For Better For Worse’ before the less obvious album closer of ‘Imprint’, a track which starts off strangely and never really finds it’s own identity, plodding along through a bassline and drum beat which meanders rather than rocks.
Thinktank have created a record that bears very well for the future and is well worthy of a listen if you enjoyed the Rival Schools record. Reasonably original, but by no means groundbreaking, it makes a refreshing change to see a band come out and at least attempt to break free from the shackles of staleness and playing safe. While it might not yet be their moment, Thinktank have enough in their collective engines to ensure a career outside of their native country.
Paul.