Fat Dog - "WOOF." (2024)

 

Fat Dog were first brought to my attention last summer when they were added to the lineup of a festival I was attending and featured on Fantano's weekly singles roundup within the same week. I decided to check out those singles, was thoroughly impressed and made a mental note to try and catch their set. The two songs they had released thus far were this insane collision of dance punk, traditional gypsy folk music and EBM with absolutely ridiculous, absurdist lyrics about having a fever dream where the protagonist becomes the king of slugs and the like. While I really liked what I heard, what truly cemented Fat Dog in my mind was catching their set and witnessing the raw, unrestrained energy that these songs have live.

The aforementioned King of the Slugs is this 7 minute surrealist journey into the mind of someone who is really loosing the plot. The thumping two step bass cranks up the tension during the opening verses which is all released in a manic chorus where vocalist Joe Love yells at the top of his voice "I'm the king of the slugs, bitch!" This the proceeds into a slow and drawn out instrumental section that slowly morphs into a bouncy polka bridge that builds and builds until the song just smacks you with one of the hardest breakdowns I have heard in years. Wither, similarly, hits you in the face with an incessant two step groove that never lets up as Love caterwauls "You better wither baby, before you die" over and over. Other album highlights include the other two singles, All the Same and Running. All the Same has a super heavy, almost dubstep-y groove and Running being one of the most intense moments on the record. Love play's the character of an exposed cult leader running away from those trying to seek justice. Flurries of stabbing synths compliment Love's increasingly deranged vocals. I managed to see the band a few weeks ago and Running closed out the set, and felt like the climax to the whole show.

While the highlights are frankly brilliant, WOOF. as a whole is quite a short album, and the over the top, tongue-in-cheek nihilism doesn't translate as well to some of the more restrained cuts on the record. Clowns and I am the King feel more like in jokes that aren't actually that clever compared to the sheer ridiculousness of the singles. That, combined with the fact that the first and last tracks function more as just intro and outro tracks for the album rather than fully fledged songs, leaves the record feeling rather lacking in substance when it comes to the lyrics and themes. But then again, its quite obvious that the point of the album is just to be a vehicle to perform these songs live, so I can hardly critique it too much for not having much to dig into on re-listen. 

The best bits of WOOF. are some of the most exciting music I heard in all of 2024, however as a whole album it feels a little underdeveloped and scant on deeper ideas. It is also short enough that it really doesn't outstay its welcome either. And as a live band, Fat Dog are absolutely brilliant and I would recommend anyone who likes a moshy gig to go see them.

Top Tracks: Wither, King of the Slugs, All the Same, Running

7/10

Nothing But Thieves - "Moral Panic" (2020)

Nothing But Thieves is the kind of mainstream alt-rock band you don't see much these days, harkening back to bands of the late 90s / early 2000s like (pre-Kid A) Radiohead, Muse, Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stone Age. The heavy, crunching guitars; angsty and anthemic lyrics; and Connor Mason's impressive falsetto is not something you really see all that much anymore. They were really on a roll as well: from the promising debut, to the much more ambitious and consistent Broken Machine and then 2018's even better What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way? EP. The signs were pointing to the band going on to making something truly great for their 3rd record, but unfortunately it hasn't really worked out for me.

The album really flits between two distinct lanes: either really run of the mill pop-rock ballads, or very hit and miss songs that incorporate elements of electronics, dance and a little bit of industrial styles. You can here both the strong influence of drive-time radio rock and the recent strain of super edgy electro-pop (think Billie Eylish and more recent Bring Me The Horizon stuff). It makes the album feel quite derivative without good enough writing to make up for it. The opener Unperson demonstrates how the band don't really know how to incorporate these new influences together. It's a super messy tune that starts sounding something more like Nine Inch Nails before going back to the bands more standard alt-rock style before turning into something more dancy as the electronics manipulate Conner's vocals as he sings "I feel like a clone of a clone of a clone of a clone of a clone (ect)". The track is about not having an individual identity in the modern age, but isn't really profound at all and just comes across so overly edgy. The band has delved into political and societal themes before, but Moral Panic completely revolves around them. Unfortunately much of the record, like Unperson, doesn't really hit the mark and just comes across as edginess with little substance.

At least some of the failed sonic experiments on here are interesting, which can't be said from the majority of the radio-ready power ballads. They are particularly generic and predictable; following done to death chord progressions and emotional swells. Genuinely the only two ballads that I can remember anything about straight after a listen is the singles Real Love Song and Impossible, and Real Love Song in particular feels pretty underwritten despite its catchy call and response guitar line. Free If We Want It and There Was A Sun sound like the toothless drivel that Snow Patrol have put out since Eyes Open and Before We Drift Away is such a one note and obvious closer with no twists or reasons to care about it. This Feels Like The End is the most shameless rip off on the record, not only of the band's own song Amsterdam, but also of Rudimental and John Newman's Feel The Love. Weird mix, I know; but the band some how manages to completely rip off both those songs at the same time

Despite the lack of overall consistency, there is a handful of good to great songs on here. Impossible is gentler than the other ballads on the record and has some unique vocal melodies from Connor that make it sound unique amongst the predictability of the other slow tracks. The lead single, Is Everybody Going Crazy? is classic NBT with massive guitars and a soaring anthemic hook. Phobia is obviously influenced by Billie Eylish with its creepy and claustrophobic first half, before descending into a heavy guitar led back end where Conner works himself up into a frenzy and breaks his usually flawless falsetto to sound darker and more deranged. Finally, Can You Afford To Be An Individual? is by far the best track on the album and one of the best songs the band have written to date. This relentless behemoth is the most lyrically dense on the record, as the band channel their inner Rage Against The Machine; rattling out political sloganeering nonstop for the song's four minute length. Conner literally sounds like he's tiring himself out by the end of the track, that's how intense the track is. The riffs are heavy as the band has ever been, leading to a massive breakdown in the middle of the track. It's the progression from the last album the rest of the tracks here should've been.

Despite the fair share of generic pop rock nothingness on here, the record isn't that bad. Conner Mason's gorgeous vocals save all of the songs on here from being truly uninteresting and the album is really well (if a little cleanly) produced; and when the band are in gear, they're still producing good songs. I've saved the tracks I like, and I probably won't come back to the full thing again. Hopefully they'll get back to the upward trajectory they were on with their next project.

Top Tracks: Is Everyone Going Crazy?, Phobia, Impossible, Can You Afford To Be An Individual?

5/10

Garbage - "Garbage" (1995)

Garbage are a band I have been casually interested in for years. I enjoy their music when it comes up on the radio and I have had this album saved on Spotify since I've had it; I may have even listened to it once or twice. However I haven't really given them enough attention to properly get into them.

Garbage are one of the most critically acclaimed groups of the post-grunge scene, crafting a unique sound incorporating elements of grunge and 90's alternative rock with electronics, dance and rave. This creates a loud and busy sound, that's also melodic and radio friendly. Some tracks lean more to the rock side of the spectrum, like Not My idea and Supervixen, while others are far more dancey, for example As Heaven Is Wide and Stupid Girl. More subtle use of synths and electronics are used in places across the album on the gentler tracks. Album closer Milk almost leans into some trip-hop sounding beats.

I wouldn't describe Shirley Manson's vocals as anything Earth shattering, but are nonetheless incredibly expressive and build the intensity on the heavier tracks and show vulnerability when needed. She very much sounds like a 90's rock front-woman. The lyrics on the, other hand, are fascinating. The band cover themes of self-loathing, sexuality, obsession, self-destruction, abuse and power fantasies. The uptempo music and the tone of Shirely's voice mean it doesn't become too depressing though. It creates the vibe that some of what the band are saying are interesting fictions, or at least extensions of the truth.

Supervixen and Vow are relationship power fantasies, with the latter being straight up abusive, with Shirley singing "I will break your soul apart" as part of the chorus. Stupid Girl and Dog New Tricks are positioned on the other end of the situation, detailing the self-loathing and worthlessness of the victim. Only Happy When It Rains is a catchy tune about wallowing in depression and negativity and Fix Me Now is a cry for help late on in the tracklist.

This album is a blast. It's dark and curious, yet remaining very listenable. Each track provides something slightly different to the table, but remains very much within the sound of the album. Not everything from the post-grunge scene has held up all that well, but this album totally has and I'm looking forward to delving into the rest of their discography.

Top Tracks: Supervixen, Queer, Only Happy When It Rains, As Heaven is Wide, Vow, Stupid Girl, Fix Me Now, Milk

8/10