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Artist: Dragstrip |
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Picture this:- You're walking downstairs into a dark, sweaty club full of half-dressed women and leather n' demin clad men. The music is deafeningly sleazy from the band on a tiny stage as you head towards the bar then back to the music, the adrenalin pumping through your veins as you get closer. That band is Dragstrip, and they're belting out tunes from their new album to everyone's contentment, and that's how 'A Heartbeat Away From Disaster' should be listened to. It's a no-nonsense, non-fancy, sleazy rock album - full stop. From the drum-tastic opening 'Thanks For The memories', you can tell what's on the cards straight away, and you won't want it to stop. This lot don't want any fancy touches on the sound that some bands rely on, it's a case of "plug on and here we go". 'Saturday Night (See My Baby Jive)' is not in any way a cover of the Wizzard hit from the 107-'s, believe me! Vocalist Kevan Overend growls out the lyrics in his gravelly manner as the band seem to be in a "couldn't give a toss" attitude the way they drag the music out of themselves. But it works well and quite effectively too. A small shadow of AC/DC falls over '(You're My) Main Man', its bluesy / rock riffs befitting a certain "schoolboy" guitarist from faraway shores, 'She's Alright' being a little of the same, and unashamedly so I'd think. One thing you wouldn't expect here is a love song of any sort, though with 'My Little Love' that's more or less what you get. Its fiddly guitar moments quieten down the song as Overend rasps his lyrics of love which is sexy to a point, but you just don't know ... "Band a gong" and "hey little sister", two phrases straight out of the glam rock era belonging to Bolan's back then. In fact, if he were still around now, he'd be well at home with 'Sophia's Song'. A simple guitar intro and its 3-4 chord melody, nice n' easy to take in and "bus-stop" to. (It's a dance). See 70's T.O.T.P.!!! There's another thing that stands out as the album goes along, and its the way the drums seem to be the driving force behind each song. Gary "bulldog" Taylor beings certain tracks, five in all, and is definitely the heartbeat of the sound throughout. It's not too often that the drummer is as prominent, but here he is, and as a whole, the album is better for that, whether its intentional or not. The anti-love song (if it can be called that) 'Chase' is on the same wavelength as Meatloaf's 'Two Out Of Three ' in a way. This bloke is at his wits end due to his feelings for a woman, but as he explains to her, "I want you, I need you, I feel you, I just can't love you", well if she doesn't get eh message, poor lass hasn't a hope in hell. On the plus side, if he sang 'Ain't Nobody' to her, then she's in for a good time, no matter that he'd be calling her a "mother f****r"!! 'Last Goodbye' is another one of those half-arsed attitude tracks which again sounds good whatever the band seem to be trying to prove, the solo almost just flopping out of the guitar in a lazy motion, the bass alive and kicking ... just! They raise their game with the thumping 'What I Need', Overend sounding like Lemmy's long lost brother via those rasping vocals that surely by now must be as dry as Ghandi's flip-flops! Give that man a pint someone. He tones it down a touch on 'The Game', but not for too long, as it probably wouldn't be the same if he came over all Barry Manilow, would it? At a time when a lot of bands out there are going for that polished, perfected sounding album that they couldn't possibly repeat live, it's a breath of fresh air when a band such as Dragstrip come along and just do their thing regardless, feedback, sleaze n' all. Thanks for the album chaps. Review by: Bob Baldwin |
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Tracklisting: 1.
Thanks For The Memories |
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All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |
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