The awkwardly-named They Are Gutting A Body Of Water produce music with a lot of force. Folks are calling TAGABOW (their nickname) a shoegaze band. That seems a little off given the kind of brute force of some of the tunes on Lotto, their new record. It's closer to Sonic Youth than it is to Slowdive is what I'm trying to say.
The Philly-based musicians cut loose on "Sour Diesel", a noisy bit of business peppered with moments of lovely vocals. It's a little Helmet-y even. That one is a real highlight here, as is single "Trainers", another rocker with a quiet-loud-quiet dynamic. And "RL Stine", another gem, indicates that TAGABOW are adept at modulating their attack if need be. The tune is mostly down-tempo and all the more effective in creating an unease that is sort of cool.
Lots of this record reveals debts owed to bands who hit their peaks before these folks were likely born, namely Live Skull, Big Black, Pixies, and Nirvana. And while it's a fool's errand to try to piece the inspirations which made Lotto, it's evident that a certain kind of American noise rock clearly shaped the approach here. Still, that said, TAGABOW do this very well, and work up a nice fury when they want to. The younger you are, the more original and innovative this will sound. Even so, it's a fine record, and one that you will want to make time for this week.
Lotto by They Are Gutting A Body Of Water is out on Friday. Details below.
[Photo: Brian Karlsson]