So this week I sent out the first batch of promos for the new Wobbly Lamps EP "Drella". I selected blogs, DJs and magazines that I thought might appreciate the new songs and that had reviewed the first EP last year.
I think the three songs are even better than on the début single and we are all excited and a tad nervous to see what everybody else thinks.
The first reaction came from Gideon Coe from BBC 6Music who tweeted on Monday "This Wobbly Lamps b-side is the best thing I've heard since whatever that record was that came out yesterday"(My Bloody Valentine).
A pretty good start to the week and Gideon played "Haxan" on his show last night adding "I like this very much, look forward to playing it again! "
Today we got the first review courtesy of the Listen With Monger blog:
Wobbly Lamps – Drella EP (Polyvinyl Craftsmen Records)
Uncompromising. It’s a word that gets bandied about all too easily these days along with legend, awesome and amazing. These are words that have lost their power through over use in the same way that if you read the word spade enough times it loses all meaning. Spade. Spade. Spade. Spade. Spade. Spade. Spade. Spade. See? Anyway, this second EP release from Southend-on-Sea’s Wobbly Lamps confirms that they are a truly uncompromising band of brothers and one well worth your ear time. From the neo-psychedelic artwork through the song titles and then to the music, Wobbly Lamps are doing things their way and anyone who gets in the way, well, they’ll just be obliterated I would've thought. This EP is limited to a run of 250 7” records and the opening track of Drella, ‘Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever’, is a swirling maelstrom of distortion, delay and buzz-saw riffs that the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club might have come up with if they’d been hanging out with Mark E Smith 35 years ago. Sure, there are some nice melodies reminiscent of Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet or early Nirvana but it’s the atmosphere that draws you in. Let’s face it, this is a five minute long A-side with minimal vocals and no discernible structure but it makes you want to dance like Ian Curtis on a good day.
On the B-Side comes the more straight-forward ‘Haxan’ (Google tells me this might be a tribute to a Danish/Swedish silent Horror movie from 1922 and literally translates as ‘the Witches’) which has an immense organ sound running through it to give the impression of Dracula going a bit grunge in his old age. There are elements of Rocket From The Crypt and sadly overlooked Belgian quartet Les Anges to this and it’s flippin’ ace. The other half of the B-side is dedicated to ‘Gretchin Fetchin’ and sees vocalist Gareth Thomas on fine form for a man who appears to have swallowed his microphone, meaning he can only sing in a voice that Bill Hicks’ Goat Boy would have been proud of. Towards the end of the track there’s a hypnotic breakdown that builds back up until you can almost hear the band rolling around on the floor and jumping in to the audience before the venue cut the power. This is music driven by the utter self belief of five men that what they are doing is good, important and utterly worth your time. There’s no false modesty or self doubt here, just colours nailed to the mast and attitude that screams “If you don’t like it ....you’re wrong”. Like I said, uncompromising.
Thanks very much to Roland for a great first write up and Gideon for our first UK airplay.
