One of Bristol’s hardest working bands, Langur, release the album ‘Deadfacing’, the third record in their 6-year plus career. For somebody who has been a fan from the very beginning, watching and listening to the band evolve has been a superb experience, and ‘Deadfacing’ (named after a band in-joke regarding corpselike face pulling) is the best thing they have released to date. Previous releases ‘Jokes I Don’t Get’ and ‘Long’ helped the band become regulars on the local Bristol scene, and now with passionate lothario Dave Thomas (of DIY label ArtScare Records) backing them, it’s only a matter of time before the band move on to bigger things. Made up of Andy Pickett on guitar and lead vocals, Kate Mizen on bass and Anthony Palmer on drums, Langur’s album is a personal affair, which the majority of the recording done by the band themselves, giving the tracks a raw yet polish notably refined sound.
The album begins on a sombre note, with a drone of dread, before quickly shifting into the energetic driving force that is ‘Uncanny Valley,’ pushed along with electronic whirrs and noises. Juddering bass and bombastic drums provide a kinetic backdrop for Andy’s guitar wizardry, which can be like audible chemistry experiments. The vocals are understated, never overdone and always abundant with flair. The song’s funk-laden chorus builds with vigour, swinging effortlessly towards a summit with the introduction of backing vocals in the form of Ant’s distorted roars of ‘You’ve gone too far!’ The stop-start outro allows Langur’s band dynamic to shine through, ending abruptly with a final bellow from Andy.
A furious beat signals the beginning of ‘Knot In My Head’, the main riff tearing along at 500 miles per hour. Pacing is important in this track, with a modest chorus (that includes some great double-kick on the drums) and a fantastic triple threat of vocals from all band members. The lyrical content of this song, and the majority of the album, is a lot more cryptic and mysterious than on previous releases. The keen-eyed social commentaries are ever present but now the songs are littered with surreal subject matter and enigmatic metaphors. That said, the element of fun that surrounds Langur certainly doesn’t suffer. The song ends with everything unravelling in a similar vein to how Black Sabbath’s classic track ‘War Pigs’ draws to a close, but with a dash of Sonic Youth.
Bass thumps and guitars squeal for ‘Rust the Sky’ which channels rocking early 90s grunge. Pixies, Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins can all be heard here (despite the fact I wouldn’t list these bands as major Langur influences), but it’s never enough to overwhelm. The post-hardcore/punk edge of Fugazi is Langur’s number one authority (which was clearer on the other 2 albums than here) but the band have their own identity which is created by the fusion of 3 very different musical personalities. Inspirations from metal to classic rock to punk all filter through to the sound, a sound that the band know works well after years of playing together. Noise combines with high quality musicianship and the memorable elements are allowed free reign and 20 seconds of feedback is the perfect end to the first act.
‘Insects’, like its namesake, fizzes and flits with energy, before settling into a jolty and oddly satisfying verse riff. Doom fuelled bass and picked guitar push on a pre-chorus before another ‘yell along’ chorus, which seems to be commonplace on this album. This song is often bleak and theatrical, the distorted guitars and big drums again bringing forward memories of early Black Sabbath, when metal was young and this kind of sound was new (again, not sure if Sabbath are a Langur influence, but the band can be heard in snippets here and there). Another prolonged chunk of feedback before the final timed note of the song is followed by a brief interlude of sorts, with mellow bass and jazzy drums.
The liveliness of Fugazi and the bass imagination of Primus comes out on ‘N2’, which has great lyrics (‘Noxious gases overhead, Green idol lurches tall like death’) and includes another belter of a chorus. Bass pushes the tempo at the halfway point and the drums never cease, building tension until a crazed solo sweeps in, which screeches, bends and shreds. Grunge notes end the song on a melodramatic note, showing that a lot of different ideas in one song can work well when pulled together correctly.
‘Mice’ has great contrasts, from the jangly verses to vigorous choruses. It is oddball garage rock with a funky edge and proves that Andy has an abundant vocal range. The song doesn’t stand up with much of what has been heard so far, but things get exciting with the final couple of tracks.
‘Stingee Bee’ idolises Les Claypool and promotes musical insanity, with many technically efficient layers and a funk-soul drenched main riff. It’s the longest song on the album, but Langur excel with these longer pieces (think of ‘Symes Avenue’ from ‘Jokes I Don’t Get’), proving that they’re not just a band to be digested in short, 3 minute mouthfuls. Stop-start bass signals a riot at the halfway point, before the song descends into chaos with what sounds like an outrageous version of ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’.
Album closer ‘Fence’ is probably the highlight of the record, mainly for its animal/visceral style, which includes blood-curdling screams and roars (a Bristolian tribute to The Locust). Kate’s vocals are particularly terrifying here, combined with the screams of ‘Fence!’ from Andy and Ant. This song was a fantastic experience live and the recording doesn’t disappoint. It shows off the chemistry of the band, who have clearly developed a strong enough understanding of each other’s abilities. Few on the Bristol scene probably rival their musical rapport, proved here with seamless transitions and an addictive hook. Repeated shouts of ‘Take it out on the fence!’ then build to an onslaught of force and venom. The album also ends with a bonus moment for toilet humour enthusiasts (‘That one was real’).
Langur have clearly grown since the days of first album ‘Jokes I Don’t Get’, which is where they found their sound. Now they are just elaborating on it, injecting darker themes and pulling off bigger tricks, which is an encouraging sign, especially when the climate of modern music (especially for unsigned bands) can often enforce an ‘adapt or die’ ethic. ‘Deadfacing’ is the most polished of Langur’s albums, capturing the live energy they have perfectly on record. Catch them performing in Bristol whenever you can, because you won’t regret it.
You can listen to and buy the album here :
http://langurmusic.bandcamp.com/album/deadfacing
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