The Fastidious Assassins

For lovers of art in all its wondrous forms. A place for reflection and discussion, deliberation and discovery...

Sunday 9 August 2009

An album of the year: Snake Magnet


Kong- Snake Magnet

It seemed to take FOREVER for this album to come out, with most of these tracks being around since 2007, so the excitement and possibility for disappointment were high. Quick back story: Kong (2 parts Oceansize, 1 part Lo-fi Radio) a band that you will instantly love or hate as they are anything but subtle...but I instantly loved them. They are an amazing sonic assault, that rocks and rolls, stopping and starting, screaming and shouting, that is pretty intense over the whole album; and initially the album is pretty damn exhilarating. But has the album got lasting qualities? Hmmm I dunno....I really thought I was going to love this album, it has everything I love- scratchy distorted guitars, complicated/stop-starty rhythms, with that Shellac "I'm going to kill you" kinda eerie vocals.......but Kong are hardly a loveable band, and Snake Magnet is not a loveable album. It may be one of the best albums this year, and it is an intense experience that will make all albums of 2009 seem tame; but repeated listens may not follow.

8.0/10 - Sometimes this album just is too much of a punch in the gullet

No comments: