The Skull Defekts — Peer Amid
The title track sets the tone for the rest of the record: a persistent, redundant mix of crooked guitar riffing and double drumming with chanting theatrical vocals by Daniel Higgs (Lungfish). The other tracks never derail too much from the route set by "Peer Amid". They carry on with their safe and harmless noisy rock, with the exception of the microphone feedback (not too loud of course) on "What Knives, What Birds", some electronics and a bit of tribal, aggressive drumming scattered over the otherwise very diligent mass of sound. While this kind of material is not really my cup of tea, I must acknowledge that The Skull Defekts' insistence on wonky guitar distortion a-la Sonic Youth is appreciated. The vocals are intense and captivating, so I can't complain about them either.
"Peer Amid" didn't do much for me, but I can't say this album is bad. It didn't become annoying over the repeated listens, and in the end I think it can be a quite nice listen if you don't expect to be shaken off your seat in awe. I'm sure that fans of The Skull Defekts and Lungwash alike will not be disappointed.