Gallops are a band that, until earlier this year, had
regrettably passed me by. I knew the name, and knew vaguely of their music, but
it wasn’t until a support slot at a Maybeshewill gig that I realised just what
I was missing. Gallops’ sound is a guttural, primal one: its intricate
instrumental math-rock is strewn with killer guitar riffs and synth lines. At
times reminiscent of Battles, Gallops’ music always feels exciting and engaging.
Leaping between time signatures like a rabbit on crack,
the Welsh band are undoubtedly extremely talented. They excel at weaving
numerous threads of glorious noise together into one musical tapestry and play
their instruments with a real vitality, urging the listener to become lost
deeper and deeper in their world of thunderous instrumentalism.
At first, opener Astaroth
appears to be the weakest track on the album: glitchy and mainly electronic, it
doesn’t quite represent the record ahead. Looking back from the LP’s tail-end,
though, it becomes a vital piece of the puzzle; a slow-building introduction to
Gallops’ sound. Mid-album track Lasers
is quite frankly stunning, blending a driving bass groove with delicate bursts
of synth and wailing guitars. The amazingly-titled Jeff Leopard, too, is just as danceable with the rhythm section
cantering away at a hell of a pace under some tight guitar and synth work.
Album closer Crutches
is a sprawling masterpiece, encompassing so many sounds it’s hard to know where
to begin. Bass, drums, guitars and keys frolic freely in amongst one another to
create an extraordinary sonic experience. By the band’s own account, the track
was initially much shorter, but due to extended jams at the ends of gigs became
the massive behemoth it is today.
Throughout the album, wave upon wave upon wave of
creativity washes over the listener; not one note, however, seems superfluous.
While lesser bands may have crumbled under the pressure of so much invention,
Gallops have crafted an album packed with emotion and, most importantly, fun.
Proving they could walk before they could gallop with 2010’s self-titled debut
EP, Yours Sincerely, Dr. Hardcore has
been a long time coming. Fingers crossed it’s less than two years before their
next release.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Hardcore by Gallops is out now on Blood & Biscuits.
ES
No comments:
Post a Comment