From the stomping drum and bass beginning to 2 minute opening track “You And Me Should Leave Together Tonight”, the rules have been set for this urgent, garage rock debut from newcomers Sauropod.
Turns out the band are a 3 piece, all the way from Oslo, Norway ; Jonas Royeng on guitars and vocals, Kamilla Waal Larsen on bass and vocals and Jorgen Naitland Apeness on drums, and are named after the long necked herbivorous dinosaur, and coincidentally they themselves are vegetarians. Morrissey would definitely approve.
The often shouty vocals are primarily from Royend, however Kamilla shares duties on several of the tracks, which adds another dimension to tracks such as Sunny Day and Headphones, and one brings to mind a heavier Wannadies vibe.
Winter Song has a strong, and very welcome Pixies influence, with its thudding baseline, and screaming vocals including the line from which the album takes its title. Powerful and impressive stuff.
The album is far from one dimensional however, with Running Song showing a different side to the band, with its acoustic instrumentation and cute vocals, although next song up, Fugue, starts like a death metal track is about to erupt out of the stereo, but thankfully we are spared the death roar vocals.
Edge of a Cloud is again a different beast altogether, with its sing along chorus and Royend sounding like a Norwegian Alex Turner.
Final track On The Hill concludes the 30 minute or so album, and we’re back in pretty mid-paced territory, with a blast of keyboards just to add to the textures present on the release.
In summary, although the album is relatively short in length, its a very sweet ride across different influences and styles although at heart, it’s a grungy garage-rock romp. A band to keep an eye on especially if they visit these shores for some live shows.
Keith
8/11
