Yes for once the image you have in your head from the band's name and album title equate with how RASP THORNE & THE BRIARS sound. They are a dark, twisted cabaret of emotional drug and drink and sex drenched tunes to be played at Burlesque and fetish type events.
Rasp formed the band when he arrived in London in 2010 after his old band the Ryder Pales broke up in New York. These days, The Briars feature among others Duncan DeMorgan on Bass and Pete Moriaty on Guitar as well as Deadcuts' drummer Joni Belaruski.
The album is produced by Alex McGowan and is closest in sound to what the Cesarians call 'wrong rock' or 'odd pop' and with a vocal delivery that has something in common with Frankenfurter in Rock Horror show. The album flies past in a very short 39 minutes, but for me the real highlights are the opening Operator Taunt No 3 with its horror cabaret feel. The dark hearted title track The Lechers Waltz, manwhile, is a scary tale of drugs and rides home you shouldn't accept.
We've all met people with Gun Barrel Pupils at the wrong end of the night and this song certainly comes from the wrong end of the night as you're not sure if you should run to or from the person with said Gun Barrel Pupils.
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The Debutante Warnings sounds like an outtake from Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel's legendary Nail album and has the sort of warnings of debs to avoid that we can only hope are heeded.
The album certainly rewards repeated listening so you can let the lyrics get to you and realize how much they are mining the same sort of Junk Shop Glam as, say. Last Man Standing have in recent years. I look forward to seeing them live to discover if they are as visually appealing as their sound suggests.
Rasp Thorne & The Briars online
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