Produced by York scenester and respected W&H contributor, Mr. Ryan Shirlow, "Black Ops" is RED:SHIFT's second EP on their own Roadkill label and it arrives in nice time to terrorise the run up to Xmas.
Although slightly rough around the edges, the sound enhances the four impressive tracks presented here. Certainly the post-rock elements are in place, but RED:SHIFT have the intelligence to bring in choruses wherever they're obviously desired and never shift too far away from structure, ensuring your attention doesn't waver.
It's difficult to pick an out and out favourite. Opener, "MFTNY" is probably the most immediate track, with its' relentless drumming and insistent guitar work showing RED:SHIFT have their taut thang off to a fine art, but "Servant," "1000Suns" and "Captain Black" are equally good. "1000 Suns" begins tentatively, reminding of early New Order with their slightly awkward forays into funk before exploding with a fury cuddly Henry Rollins would be proud of, while "Captain Black" gradually billows out into a crescendo that momentarily reminds me of Pere Ubu's scary "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" as it rides out into the darkness.
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Uncompromising, fascinating and withing nodding distance of the US underground's darker side (past and present), RED:SHIFT are on sonic manoeuvres undercover of the night. Don' be afraid to get caught up in the crossfire.
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