So last night, I had a cleaning rampage. For all the dust you ingest, you find at least one thing that you totally forgot about, throw away at least one thing that you'll end up looking for within a month and reminisce about things you've lost in your bedroom (of abyss).

So, there was the Black Ramps EP, somehow underneath my amp. I must have thrown away their biog because I now can't find it, but I do know that they're from Bedford, and they're a three-piece. That's enough with facts now, so here's some opinion.

It's fairly easy to notice the inspirations here from lo-fi bands like Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Sonic Youth, etc. But their sound is a lot more structured than said bands and they seem to move their sound into a grunge framework, perhaps suggesting that they're leaning on popular grunge revitalists like Nine Black Alps, The Subways, etc. However, one thing this EP lacks to really stand out is some energy. From the look on their website they seem to enjoy their 'slacker rock' title but I think it's easy to notice similiarties between 'slacker rock' and 'boring rock' (sorry for the lack of wit in that criticism there...)

Don't get me wrong, they've got the makings of something great but it just needs something else, something to sting the listeners ears, to make it brilliant.