South Yorkshire’s Attic Attack are new to me. This is their debut EP. They play rock, rock in that classic rock way with a kind of bluesy edge at times. It reminds me of all sorts of good things from, what I might refer to, as my youth.
EP opener ‘P.Y.M.W.Y.M.I.’ sets out their stall. It’s heavy but it’s not heavy heavy. It has guitar solos that take me back, way back. The guitar is great. As are the vocals which are way up there in the mix people. But and this is crucial this track has a tune. It sounds – if I really have to say this, and my helpful friend told me I had to – a bit like a cross between Gillan (go look this up people) and Whitesnake, at least to my rather ancient ears.
OK so ‘Flow’ is a bit bluesier. Listening closely – which I do I promise, I always listen really closely to stuff I review – there’s some clever drumming touches going on. And in all its heaviness there’s tune. There is also a rather fantastic guitar solo. However it is with ‘Reverie’ that I’m somewhat surprised, for here is something with a kinda country rock feel. It’s a rather nice surprise, a great surprise, to be honest. This does have it’s heavier moments but they’re not jarring, in the context of what the band do they make sense. And there is a rather fab, and tasteful, solo.
EP closer ‘Face’ is a heavier thing based on a grinding riff. And although riffy it still has a tune. This is a great thing. I like a tune (I also like out and out noisey riffing rock but at times I like a tune OK?).
I’ve made what Attic Attack do sound completely retro – the clue is in my use of the phrase ‘classic rock’ if you didn’t pick this up – but this is isn’t entirely true. The thing is that with modern production techniques ‘classic rock’ doesn’t really sound like the rock that ‘classic rock’ is influenced by, it’s cleaner, it’s sharper sounding. It sounds a bit like it but, and this is true for Attic Attack, it obviously can’t help but be influenced by what came between then and now.
As an aside – present day classic rock sounds, as my helpful friend mentioned, how you remember rock back in the day sounding, but when you go back to it it doesn’t sound like that that at all. There were some things that at the time I thought of as being the heaviest things I’d ever heard but revisiting them they don’t sound that way at all. Sometimes this can be somewhat disappointing, to be honest.
Anyway aside over, back to the review. In that classic rock sound of the band I hear hints, small hints, of alternative rock. This gives what they do a modern edge.
I rather like this EP – the playing is great, the songs are fab. I rather like the fact that the band have resisted the temptation to freak out – and there are points in the tracks where they could do that – but instead have stuck to producing something that is heavy on the tunes. You like classic rock, you’ll love this.
