Houston Swing Engine ""
[Gentlemen]
I think the subtitle of this disc is just a joke, as this band's debut CD EP was called "Greatest Hits - A Collection of Five Unreleased Tracks by HSE". Plus they hail from Switzerland and kick off this 44-minute disc full of quirky rock with a song called "Gay Rodeo". Oh yeah, that's right. "Gay Rodeo". You read it right. That's funny stuff! Anyway, these cats have a pretty interesting sound that's definitely rock based, but is also a bit heavier and moodier, bringing in some dissonant and rhythmic metalcore types of influences as well as some melodic emo/indie rock types of clean breaks and such. But they don't neglect the flat out rock either, at times bringing to mind Alabama Thunderpussy or similar acts, but with vocals that rest on the line between shouting, screaming, and singing (under a light filter of distortion). "Brian Molko vs Nigel Tufnel" offers more of an energetic, heavy emo/indie feel; but then "Don't Start Me Up!" is full blown rock with some nice grooves, some bass/drums driven passages, and even a little bit of a flat out 70's rock inspiration; and then, after that, the title track plods on for damn near seven minutes, dropping some Sabbath-sounding dirges that are heavy on the rhythm section with some pseudo noisy guitar leads and textures alongside spoken vocals for the bulk of the track. There's a lot going on, that's certain. Hell, sometimes they even sound like a heavier Fugazi to me. Go figure. I really like the recording a lot here. The bass tone rules and is very central in the mix, the drums sound totally warm and natural with a great mix and just the right amount of pop, the guitars are dirty and well textured, the vocals fall right back into place, etc. I can't spot anything that seems problematic. The layout keeps it simple, looking not unlike an old 45rpm or something with a black and white band photo on the front, few colors, bold text, etc. Most of the booklet is blank space, with minimal text (no lyrics), and the inner spread has another live band photo and a bunch of layered Houston Swing Engine logos that sort of mock the logos of several large companies (Amoco, Texaco, and so on). This is worth checking out, but don't expect a stagnant record, nor your typical "stoner rock" crap or whatever, because this isn't that kind of a band. They're a rock band, but they're dipping their hands into a whole slew of different cookie jars to deliver the goods. Not bad. (7/10)
Running time - 44:00, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Accumulator 77, Don't Start Me Up!, And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird, Muchas Gracias Señorita]
Gentlemen Records - http://www.gentlemen.ch

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