Japanese Voyeurs: Sicking and Creaming
Japanese Voyeurs: Sicking and Creaming
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Tuesday, 06, Oct 2009 04:59
Slimeball Records out October 5th.
In a nutshell...
Sludged-out grunge with a whipped scream topping.
What's it all about?
Sicking and Creaming is a three track EP that was apparently released on the say-so of a Yaqui Indian shaman who visited the Voyeurs after a particularly heavy night on the hallucinogens.
Who's it by?
Japanese Voyeurs are a five-piece grunge band from London who have an unhealthy interest in all things dark and somewhat sickly including burgers, Bram Stoker, Swamp Thing and of course, sexual repression. All are equally compelling influences but with some describing the resultant sound as vomit-like, it's clear these voyeurs aren't looking to please everyone.
As an example...
"Mommy, Mommy I've been a good girl this year/I've been working really hard, I've been trying awful hard... " - Dumb
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Sadly, this lot will most likely never make a trip to the Grammy's based on their personal tastes alone but stranger acts have made a name for themselves so perhaps once they spy their niche the Japanese Voyeurs will become a cult band for those still pining for the days of early nineties grunge and stone wash jeans.
So is it any good?
Japanese Voyeurs have a sound that is both disturbing and intriguing at the same time. The nasally female vocals sound like a tormented child at times but still have a high pitched power and presence that make for compelling contrast with the droning guitar and thudding drums.
Opening track Dumb is pretty much grunge by numbers and takes clear but not utterly aped influence from Nirvana with its punchy power chord riff and screeched vocals.
Despite the awful title, track two X-ray Ted has a relatively catchy "I wanna be an animal" chorus but it sadly descends into a sloppy guitar breakdown and wraps up after only two minutes as if it were never there.
"You're so Cool is a little better in its execution and even has a menacing Soundgarden style riff which is complemented by the first appearance of a more melodic vocal part which is sorely missing throughout. However, the track yet again descends into a total riff-out before fading out rather prematurely.
There's promise in this band but the songs need a lot of work and the group's idea of attracting fans by somehow repelling them with obscure if not outright tasteless stylings is not a business model that would survive five minutes in the Dragon's Den. However, there is something about them that makes eager to see them live, which in these download happy days isn't necessarily a bad thing.
5/10
Ross McTaggart