Paga from Sweden are Pelle and Gottfrid Ahman – the latter being ex vocalist of In Solitude and the band have been picked by Khvost of Grave Pleasures/ Beastmilk to be released on his Secret Trees imprint via Svart Records.
The accompanying press release mentions the Birthday party and Bowie in his more avant-garde guises and the opener “Stellar Varmin” certainly delivers on that, with an even bigger dose of Bauhaus if my ears are to be believed.
Dramatic guitar stabs and frantic strings layer over bongos and post punk Gang of Four style basslines and I am just waiting for Pete Murphy’s distinctive tones to leap out. Or even Mr Lydon’s as there is a throwback to P.I.L here as well. Instead, it is Gottfrids sporadic light screeches that perforate the jazzy cacophony. It sounds pretty cool but doesn’t go anywhere and does it slowly. I find my mind wandering during the 10 minutes. As an opener it doesn’t grab and seems a little indulgent. It’s their album though, so why the hell not?
The single “Enter” is next which is a shorter sharper affair harking back to the post punk of the late seventies’ early eighties, which is the time capsule these guys have escaped from. Too jerky to chill to, too quirky to dance to this is music to experience but not necessarily enjoy. Like Alien Sex Fiend without the humour or Joy Division without the structure. A track of manipulated accordion and birdsong serves as a path, entitled “By Ends Great Glitter” to “Wholly Gone”.
At this point I am craving a Cardiacs album as this is a bit too on the nose and lacks the wink and nod of the truly waifish avant-garde. “Wholly Gone” is the kind of pretentious guff that Jack White can get away with but just falls flat here. More manipulated accordion and dirge topped by wavering vocals makes me think of the Fishy fish fish Monty Python sketch.
Suddenly I am perked up, by anger. “Wet Star” winds me up. I am not the biggest Bowie fan but his music certainly had a great effect on me as a teen and I thought “Black Star” was a bloody great way to bow out. This track seems to want to tread the same water as Mr Jones but gets dragged down by its own corduroy trousers as soon as it hits the wet stuff. Ironic then that the next two tracks are “Meshes in the Wild Lock” – featuring a noise that sounds like Dory trying to talk whale in Finding Nemo – and “Warer Strider” . The latter is an acoustic number that begins with the line “Do you dare me to sit in the saucer”. Is this Flight of the Conchords? I was an art student once too.
Strangely “Olili“ elicits more favour from me. A basic drum beat and vocals reminiscent of Mario Lanza are mildly soporific.
“Storm” which ends the whole affair wants to be form the Space Oddity sessions but will never be in orbit of my head again. Ground control to Major gone!
It’s nearly Xmas a time for giving. I’ll give this
(1/10 Matt Mason)
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