For purist fans this will come as a record long overdue - and somewhat above the expected par. XX Teens have made a sizeable following from their shambollic post-punk and icy cool stage demeanor, and although this LP is skewed without the visual statement that is Rich ‘Dirtdog’ Cash’s stony-face, it’s also buffered by production and depth.
A gathering of previous singles, Welcome to Goon Island is awash with rethinks. ‘Darlin’ (mark 4 is it now?) is still full of jolting rhythms and opens with its usual wail, but is fattened up as the midi horns are replaced by the real deal. It stands as the slurring introduction to the band, but now seeks to be more of a touchstone for what surrounds it.
From the outset, the harp dream-sequence opener to ‘The Way We Were’ is cut into with cowbell percussion and “hey!”s - Dirtdog here playing Mark E Smith’s more articulate sibling to the tinny Marc Bolan-style vocals of Anthony Silvester.
‘For Brian Haw’ opens as a pacey little number of building guitar riffs and unison shouts. But the end transforms at the two-minute mark into a righteous monologue from the man himself. It may not be as tongue-in-cheek as the absent ‘…Terror Victim’, but it harbours the familiar knell of truth.
‘My Favourite Hat’, usually a jumble sale of instrumentation, is expanded into a clearer form while retaining the same conversational toned lyrics. God bothering on ‘Round’, the Teens laugh insanely over minimal electro bass accompaniment. It’s dark, it’s stormy – and it contains samples of birds tweeting. It seems the art of juxtaposition is alive and well.
A certifiable pop song, ‘Onkawara’ features Silvester’s shrill shout, pleading and tag teaming the ever-pissed-sounding Cash, before buzzing guitars take over. Similarly with a nod to the east, ‘Sun Comes Up’ hauls in sitars and then proceeds to pitch-bend them to exotic effect.
The form is a lot more inspirational indie than underground art students. But realistically if you want to expand beyond the London trench you’ve gotta examine what’s above the parapet; something which these Teens seem to be rather astute in learning.
Best new band in Glasgow, by a mile!
...Any more snooker cliches?
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