Art Trip And The Static Sound‘s 2018 album A Week Of Kindness is being refreshed in the public’s consciousness by the release of the “Iron Lung” single. This particular track shines a light on their more repetitive Spacemen 3 leanings, with a rough and grungey circular guitar motif. The drummer is the key here, not allowing anything to escape from the black hole of sound.
This is one of those tracks that make you wish Too Pure still existed, as it would have been perfect fodder for their take on a very English indie sound. Melodie Holliday‘s voice is quite a thing, like a blunt knife through some old steak, it forces its way into your viewpoint, ragged and slightly disappointed, as if not convinced that you are actually going to listen.
The album itself is full of commentary on today’s way of life and what we should be doing to make things better. There is a touch of Lydia Lunch in the opener “Best Friend”, the vocals are that mix of snotty yet full of disdain ,but there is a surfy B52s feel to the music. The bass is heavy and battles with the guitar as it tries to add a little texture to lighten the mood. In some of the tracks, you can detect a lineage that goes back through Thee Hypnotics to The Stooges in the dirty grind of guitar riffery. The difference is in the attitude, and on “Kerplunk!”, it is like a call to arms for those that follow their own direction. Her snarling delivery of “You’re so mainstream, so normal” describes perfectly the way they feel about certain members of society. The influences that shimmer lightly in the background are from all over. “Feminine Hygiene Spray” is a little reminiscent of Stereolab in its motorik deliberation. It is slower and gradually descends into a post-punk stew of hypnotic sound. At times, Melodie’s voice forcing its way into the mix has the disinterested tone of somebody delivering propaganda, but at others comes on like a writhing snake battling a squall of angry guitars. There is an intensity to the production that helps to hammer home the messages: “You can’t hate someone for their colour of their skin” she insists on the Fall-like “No Fly Zone”, and a further list of intolerances flows like a stream of acid rain.It is not all about the vocals though. On “Strike”, the rhythm section are given the opportunity to step out a little while the voice is fed through various effects, giving it more of a textural place in the mix, and on the closer “Day Trip To Haiti”, the vibe changes completely with eerie, muffled drums and distant, nebulous guitar. The vocals sound as though they are caught in the wind and dissipated throughout the dense atmosphere. The guitar, bass and drums are in each others’ pockets, but they gradually attempt to disrupt one another. The vocals remain offhand, regardless of which way the band try to pull them, and it is quite a relief when it comes to a close.
Art Trip And The Static Sound clearly revel in their post-punk roots, but pull and push in lots of other directions too as Melodie’s vocals blare or burn through whichever setting they produce. A Week Of Kindness is an intriguing mix of sounds, but it is the social anger and dissatisfaction that sets it apart.-Mr Olivetti-
