CLANG BOOM STEAM is a pretty mediocre band name and to also name their album eponymously means they have an uphill battle to grab your attention. the press release's claims that they make Stadium Rock inspired by Tom Waits and Nick Cave but with the basslines from Queens of The Stone Age only adds to the confusion. They are not in any way Stadium rock contenders.
Confusion is the theme of this album as they sound like a band trying to figure out who they want to be and needing a couple of years on the road to come to a satisfactory conclusion. The opening feedback intro that leads into the dark song Clan that has someone doing some bowel-shaking throat singing either side of the verses like someone wanted to sample Yat Kha for no good reason. Why? It's hard to say, as the vocals don't have the menace to go with the sounds.
Worms is like a bargain bin Brute Chorus (who were, of course, a bargain bin Nick Cave) so this is like a third rate re-tread of a re-tread that adds nothing to the originals influencing it, though if you like Goth-y punk you may like this anyway.
The same worms are also present on Digging up the Dead hich is all wonky electronica with some pretty weird lyrics that actually almost work. But only almost.
Good Ship is so obviously an attempt to write something as majestic as Nick Cave's Ship Song and failing to get anywhere close as the lyrics aren't anything like strong enough.
Weird Bint was the first track I actually wanted to turn off before the end as it's a third rate Nightingales rip off with none of the insouciance needed to carry it off.
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Thankfully, Dirty Face is next. It is the best tune on the album by far. It's pretty cool and sounds very much like Brute Chorus at their best. It's the one thing I'd recommend from this album.
Frustratingly, it's followed by I look Better In This Light: the most confused thing on an album rife with confusion. It sounds like the singer and the drummer are playing totally different songs to the rest of the band. Either that or they recorded the first rehearsal and thought it sounded great which it, er, doesn't.
You Don't Love me is the one thing they have totally right. I don't love Clang Boom Steam not even remotely and the song of the same title passed me by as did Righteous Man before the album closes with Fort St Gabriel which at least has some cool guitars grating away throughout it.
For me this album is too confused. Given the choice, I'd wait for the band's third album by which time they might have found enough focus to be good. At the moment this is more like a work in progress than the finished article.
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