Originally starting off as a solo project, bandleader Dean Tzenos recruited Jared Gibson (Drums, Electronics, Vocals) and Denholm Whale (Bass, Vocals) to help him perfect his sound whilst on tour; then the buzz went through the roof with FatCat Records being quick to snap them up, adding them to their list of already impressive acts.
An early highlight of Toronto’s Odonis Odonis’ debut ‘Hollandaze’ is debut single ‘Busted Lip’ with its bumbling bassline and reverb turned up all the way to 11, it has the feel of Black Wire and the aggression of Big Black. Like Busted Lip before it ‘Blood Feast’ is a track with a bassline that just bounces along accompanied by enough reverb to keep any lo-fi shoegazing punk satisfied with the simple but effective drumbeat just hanging around.
‘Handle Bars’ is another highlight of the album, with a doff of the cap to early Queens of the Stone Age 3 minutes of boisterous bedlam. Elsewhere ‘Ledged Out’ makes the listener immediately aware of its brilliance with the beefy bass, pounding drums and high pitched guitar working cohesively to deliver a radiant lo-fi pop song.
You can clearly see the influences that have gone into Tzenos’ work but you never get the feeling that Odonis Odonis are out to just imitate with this lo-fi debut bound to make noise in more ways than one.
Wavves will never be remembered as a band who changed the world. They will be remembered for being in the right place at the right time all the time. They will be remembered for having connections with other bands vital to particular moments or scenes that have a resonance. They have been through several line-up changes during their three year existence. In many ways they are a classic band, ticking boxes and fulfilling stereotypes wherever they go. And now as they ready new E.P “Life Sux”, Wavves seem to have finally turned into to the band they always threatened they could be. “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl” is dumb, unchallenging and simplistic. It is also one of the best pop records of the year.
Nathan Williams’ voice, once caught in an eternal struggle between a frazzled male Ronette and a whiny beach bum drawl, is now firm and full. The song has a sense of completion to it that has been lacking from so many of Wavves’ previous efforts, a smooth three note riff and a super fuzzy bassline are wrapped up in a sea of thunderous percussion. It’s thrilling, it’s fun and above all, it’s the work of a group who have finally found their feet. That the song had it’s debut on the soundtrack to a new MTV show (the wonderfully named “I Just Want My Pants Back”) that aired after the VMA awards, bringing them to theattention of the wider audience that always been just out of their reach. It’s been a long time coming, but Wavves finally feel like they band they’ve always threatened they could be.
