 I think I may have gone about things the wrong way round when it came to Meet Me In St Louis. Although their name has been flying out of the usual sites and mouths for the last year or so, I never got round to finding out what all the buzz was about, until just over a month ago when I caught 90% of their set at the Brainwash weekender whilst waiting around to see Adem. Live, the energy was jaw-dropping, each member twitching and spazzing out in their own space, with the bassist throwing himself around like something out of a Fall Out Boy video shoot.
Unfortunately, the sound was a little too much to take, a constant pummelling of stop and start At the Drive-In esque post-hardcore. Unable to differentiate the songs and guitar parts from each other, I left a song or two early.
However on record, this band are a completely different kettle of fish. At the Drive-In and Locust producer Alex Newport has somehow managed to hone and focus the intense, energetic noise that MMISL are best at, creating one of the most special debut UK albums I have heard in years. With a rhythm section tighter than a gnat’s arse, and buckets of riffs, this record conjures up images of Faraquet, These Arms Are Snakes and maybe even The Fall of Troy. Tapping guitars, and hooky vocal melodies ricochet in and out of the constant time changes, and by end of each track, you wouldn’t believe you were still listening to the same song you were 4 minutes ago.
I’m sure the next time I catch MMISL live, it will be a much more enjoyable experience now that I’ve had plenty of time to digest this record, and what this band are all about.
Matthew Benn |
| Coding: Darren Burrows