Review
THE FADES – JOY
Released 28th May 2012 (Genepool Records)
Words: John Newspeaker for Noise Addiction
Back in the day after the initial burst of 77 Punk Rock, came the second wave of punk, and its art school garage sound of angular guitars and beating rhythms. Bands went from sounding like the Pistols or the Clash to The Gang of 4 and The Fall, and although these may be examples of the extremes in these genres there were a plethora of bands mutating into that cross over sound.
Well, this track reminds me of those good ol’ bad ol’ days, and I say that in a most respectful way, for it’s important to realise how important the past was, so we can finally get to The Fades modern garage sound. Now you know how we all got here (Darwin aside) I really like this track.
At first listen it was a tad repetitive, but The Fades relish this and force the issue upon the listener, just as they did with previous release ‘Meccano’. In fact it’s a fungus like grower, which is exactly what The Fades want it to be, and in the best interests of the reader, do check out The Fades older stuff which I personally prefer. So Let’s put their four year sabbatical, and my preferences to one side, and enjoy – ‘Joy’, the second instalment of The Fades, second coming, and lifted from their forthcoming album ‘Ragnarok’.
Imagine a tough Franz Ferdinand mixed with the bleak pop art of Buzzcocks sleeve designer Malcolm Garrett, and you could also throw in 78 bands like the Tights, with Ants/Burundi tribal drumming that cracks on from intro to outro. All references apart it sounds like The Fades. Which is by no means bad, and no mean feat!
Play it, and if you don’t like it, play it again, and if you still don’t like it, you’re in the wrong section.
