Godzilla Black: Godzilla Black
Godzilla Black: Godzilla Black
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Self published, out now..
In a nutshell.
What the hell just happened?
What's it all about?
Godzilla Black are an aspiring band looking to cut their teeth on their debut self-titled, self-published album. And golly gosh are they unique.
Who's it by?
Some bloke called Uncle Ben is the leading promoter of Godzilla Black, whoever the strange individual is; either way he says that it's "hard to divine fact from fiction with regards to Godzilla Black, such is the incorporeal nature of its existence", in a way that I'm allowing to be defined as sarcastic or funny but not serious, otherwise I'd really struggle to enjoy them in any way at all.
Following the incorporation of a pair of drummers, two years or so were spent improving their sound, recording EPs and playing shows around the UK before others joined - though the number of band members is apparently a secret. Well, until you see them live, I guess.
As an example.
"I'm the kinda of girl that makes you wanna get a sex change / I'll make tomorrow feel like today is your birthday" - Fear of a Flat Planet.
What the others say
"Electro squeals, Ornette Coleman horns, redneck-aliens apparently chanting down the mic and drums that wouldn't be out of place at a Lightning Bolt gig. It's totally thrilling." - The Line of Best Fit
"Their self-recorded first album ... is an absolute behemoth ready to chew up and spit out everything in its path." - God is in the TV
So is it any good?
It's probably the most baffling album you'll download this year, and if you're anything like me, you won't know if you'll like them, loathe them, love them or leave them. Ladies and gentlemen, Godzilla Black are the craziest band you'll've heard in months.
Having read up about the band, there seems to be a little bit of a legacy preceding them, even if it's all tongue in cheek, and it doesn't match up to the finished product. Then again, no description could ever get it correct, which is why you'll have to excuse the stream-of-consciousness-style approach below.
After the first listen, I thought this band were really rubbish. Honestly, I did. Fear of a Flat Planet is probably one of the least enticing opening tracks to an album I've heard in a long time; a heady mix of screeching, crass and nonsensical lyrics alongside a beat that never desires to hold its own, making it a worrying prelude to another 11 tracks. "Christ, this is going to be a long night," you'll think.
But then to follow it up, the second track - The Bad Place - is so reminiscent of Fungus Amongus-era Incubus it's actually pretty damn impressive. And, by extension, it's excellent. Imagine if the Beach Boys had met Katatonia, Dimmu Borgir or any other atmospheric gothic-influenced band. The extremely simple escalating three-note riff is top-notch when it kicks in, and while it could be mistaken for one of many early 90s grunge bands (think Alice in Chains and co), it's just really bloody good.
And then From Here to Clare kicks off. Again, there's a 1960s Batman-esque chase sequence to kick off, with the surfer bass mixing it up while a happy US church-style organ gets involved. This is fun, until exactly 1:12 into the song. This stops. Cue 22 long seconds of painful female screaming, which then accompanies the rest of the tune - a further 1:30-ish - to the point where it actually gets pretty funny.
And then it's not funny any more, nor is it chilling. It's just really, really annoying. It soon feels like a cheap trick to keep Godzilla Black in your mind. Poor.
This up and down mood continues through the album, exhibiting very little common thread in regards to consistency of genre or style, aside from the overt US American accents and heavy (and notably accomplished) drum work. Sometimes the percussion is the only thing on the entire song, and it just works - for example, the tribal beats of Insect Day.
Some of it is borderline breakcore, such as the fun-yet-painful Burning Wires, which should be avoided if you're on narcotics of any kind. It's like listening to Alice in Wonderland being portrayed by an illegal rave. Do I like it? I just don't know.
The love-hate relationship with the album also intertwines with equal love-hate feelings for individual songs. Disease 1/I'll Kill You If You Don't turns from a Rammstein-esque epic to the depiction of Miles Davis' death through the medium of acid jazz and anarchic dance.
A five out of ten seems apt, but only because I simply can't get my head around whether I enjoy or dislike them. You may find it easier to understand these guys, but you'll hear the entire thing and think that they're unique until you have a reality check and realise that it's because they haven't actually established their own style, flitting between all kinds of genres in this release.
If you like 50s and 60s surfer rock, heavy drum beats, death metal, folk rock, ambient dance, breakcore or everything in between, you'll get something from this album. It may be nine songs or 20 seconds of one track.
Personally I don't think I'll ever know if I like this lot, but considering it's free, you might as well find out for yourself. There's talent, it's just not clear whether they're using it all the time, most of the time, or ever.
5/10