Albums

Album Review: U.S.S.A.

Album: The Spoils
Label: Fuzz Artists

Formed by ex-Jesus Lizard/Tomahawk guitarist, Duane Denison, and ex-Ministry bassist, Paul Barker, U.S.S.A. have here a debut album that melds stabbing rock rhythms, buzzed-out guitars and gutsy, agonized vocals. It lies somewhere between Soundgarden, Jesus Lizard and Faith No More and should appeal to those who like a dash of darkwave attitude in their music.

Opener ‘Dead Voices’ has a buzzed-out walking bass lifted by an electric shock of guitar and Gary Call’s spooky Cobain-esque vocal. The track has a series of sudden alarming backing noises that really pin on it a threatening gloom. ‘Middletown’ is far rangier with grimy, wallowing guitars casting shadows in the verse before joining the menacing, bottom-end vocals in a sustain-fuelled choral wash. Just when you think it couldn’t get any bleaker, out comes the brooding ‘Sugarwater’ with a tortured, beating heart of bass, warping discordant vocals and even dampened double-kicked drums that pummel you into submission.

It’s easy to get carried away here considering the well-worn path a lot of the album takes. But then it all sounds so accomplished, even if it does have a tendency to tie itself in knots with repetitious loops. ‘The Spoils’ is not only a chance for any middle-aged grunger to finally get something new to listen to; the vitality at the core of the album could just be the very thing our disaffected youth have been crying out for.

For fans of: Faith No More, Jesus Lizard, Ministry
Band links = U.S.S.A.

Buy this CD!

Tags: album, cd, USSA, Spoils, U.S.S.A., The Spoils, review

John’s review also appears in TLOBF.

Bookmark to:

Previous & Next