Genre: Rock/Alternative
Rating: 8.5/10
Antlered Man are an up and coming band based in London who I previously discussed in my first (and so far only) "spotlight on" feature. The band produce what can only be described as truly deranged rock music which flirts with experimental proggy elements whilst retaining a level of astute punk vitriol. The band are very difficult to describe in terms of overall sound as they seem to revel in twisting and turning away from standard conventions but this only serves to make the whole thing more intriguing. Following two download only singles the band have just released their first part of a two part album in both limited hand made cds, of which only 500 will be made, and download from their self established label Goo Grrrl records. The end result is Buddhist Soup, a 5 track mini album or EP that demonstrates the bands creative flair and originality.
Buddhist Soup, as predicted, is a very sporadic release that schizophrenically evolves in and out of states of absolute mania and more refined calmer moments. From start to finish the band make no attempt to go easy on the listener throwing a riotous dismissive racket in your general direction before disappearing behind their more eerie material. In places the material on show has an almost nursery rhyme feel as seen in the title track, which only adds to the sense of unease spread throughout the record. Whilst this all sounds a bit too chaotic to work the band manage to pull this off in their own unique way. Highlights include the bands opening gambit and single "Outrages 1 Ta 3" which see's a simple lone guitar slowly twist into an almost psychedlic hypnotic riff before pummelling your ears with crashing metal intensity, as well as the eerie whistling and flute work on title track "Buddhist Soup" which makes for quite a creepy listen. The biggest highlight is my personal favourite, the closing track "Platoono Of Uno", which sees the band yet again baffle and confuse as they twist and turn time signatures into strange new shapes employing loud and quiet dynamics to devastating effect all the while the tense and poignantly sharp lyrics ooze like bile. The only real criticism of the whole release is the decision to release it in two parts which means an undetermined wait for what I can only assume will be a thrilling conclusion to the album. With only five tracks making up merely half an album you can't help but feel that it all comes to a close a little prematurely. That being said it does the job to wet your appetite for more material so this is only a minor grumble.
Overall this is a suitably impressive first outing for a band who have only just started to show off their true potential. The bands originality and vision is employed with a finesse rarely demonstrated on a debut and is a real breath of fresh air stacked up against quite a stale music scene. Highly recommended.
Download: "Platoono Of Uno" "Buddhist Soup"
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