WE THREE AND THE DEATH RATTLE - ALBUM REVIEW

We Three And The Death Rattle - WTATDR (Paw Purr Records) 
We Three And The Death Rattle - WTATDR

I've been looking forward to this album for a while but it seems to have slipped past me as it was released over a month ago and I've only just noticed! No matter, good things come to those who wait and, even though I didn't realise I was waiting, this is a very good thing indeed. We Three And the Death Rattle go from 0 to 60 in about 2 seconds as 'Down Out And Deep Fried' and 'Hot Neptune' burst in like Sandy at the end of Grease but with a rottweiler as the end of a chain, a pierced tongue and tattoos on her face. What's more, she doesn't care if she gets Danny or not, she just wants to get loaded and start a fight. 'Stitches And Winners' continues at the same pace with Joan Jett guitars and Karen O's vocal sneer before 'Split Lips' snakes in with hypnotic guitar work and chugging drums like a old but reliable factory machine.

For all their cool and swagger, though, WTATDR are defiantly British as lyrics about scrambled eggs and self service checkouts prove. There is scratchy rawness to 'Inpatients' that is reminiscent of how the Long Blondes might have sounded if they'd been more interested in blues rock than disco and the lyrics of "I found God on the bathroom floor" should be written in tipex on the folders of college kids across the country before long. The marvellously name 'Bipolarcoaster' is up next and is full of dirty, swampy guitars battling with electro drones under the sultry, seductive vocals of front-vixen Amy. Stomping recent single 'Alligator' drones in to view with its wild west references before giving way to 'Double Or Quits' which is all Patti Smith cool and rhythmic appeal. The great thing about this trio is that they're not doing anything particularly complex or intricate but the approach to giving the blues a real 21st century facelift and injecting it with raw sex appeal is musical genetic engineering of the highest order.

'Hey Detonator!' demands your attention but if I was to make one criticism it would be that the vocals are a tad too clean and high in the mix - that's like criticising a woman for being too beautiful though, kinda pointless. By the time you get to 'You're My Ammunition' you get a feel for the uncompromising and slightly aggressive tone of this album but the industrial, futuristic tones are of this tune are still a delight as they channel the Black Keys but with a cyborg Beth Ditto on vocal duties. 'Bitten By The Dust' brings the album to a close with frantic beats and a sense that, to use a football analogy, WTATDR wanted to leave everything out on the pitch. My advice to you would be not to wait any more than I already have, got yourself a copy of this album and then go out working on dark streets with it in blaring out in your ears. This is great stomping music.


More information: https://www.facebook.com/wethreeandthedeathrattle?fref=ts

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