At sixteen tracks, if you can hang on through to the end of this one you probably have a longer attention span than 95% of the general population, which is a depressing yet accurate statement. Having said that, ‘Six Plus Ten’ is 16 tracks of intelligently crafted post-hardcore that rocks nicely without being too offensive or overly energetic.
High end heavy bass lines poke satisfyingly through a wall of frantic guitars in all the right places, and drummer Rachel Fuhrer has a knack for knowing when to let rip and when to play it cool. ‘DM Barringer’ has echoes of Million Dead hiding round the corners of its hammer-on heavy riffage, with Paul Warner’s vocals slicing through like a Texan Frank Turner.
Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi and Tanner are all prominent as influences but the experimental moments on ‘Number 13’ that help to step away from the conventional post-hardcore sound, along with some showy guitar work that would be more at home on a White Stripes record. Oddly, this strange fusion works quite well and it’s where We’ll Go Machete are at their best, as ‘All At Sea’s writhing lead guitar lines prove, but for the most part this record comes across as a little self-indulgent with a lack of anything to catch the attention of the listener. There’s a thrashing, impatient urgency to some of the tracks that threatens to break free from the monotony, but this never quite manages to seize hold of the songs and lift them up to the level that they desperately want to be at.
‘Six Plus Ten’ has a lot of potential and would almost certainly translate well live, but you’re left struggling to see the wood for the trees with the mountain of filler that suffocates the fine musicianship throughout.
JAMIE OTSA