Exploding Head has been out for a little while now but it is such a great album we I feel it needs a review.The aptly named 'Exploding Head' contains more noise than you are likely to hear at a Sonic Youth gig with the three piece easily earning themselves the title 'the loudest band in New York.' Their sound takes some of the best bits from shoegaze legends My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain whilst adding slight hints of punk and garage rock making for a relentless onslaught on the eardrums, thick walls of noise created by loud drums with a snare that thwacks so intently and guitars that squeal and screech so much it's almost deafening at times but it's the addition of those catchy melodies that really raises the bar from their first eponymous long player.
The production on this record is stunning, with a sound as distorted and dense as APTBS's there must have been so much work going on behind the scenes because it's a hard sound to get right on cd and believe me there have been a number of other bands who have tried before and failed. Lead singer Oliver Ackermann states that "Taking the listeners to different places-even in one song-is so important, whether it makes them cry or pissed off. If you listen closely, some of the riffs on this record are actually like Ramones or 60's bubblegum pop." Production Engineer Andy Smith who can quote working with the likes of Paul Simon and David Bowie really has taken the band to another level.
Their first album was more of a collection of demos and outtakes from jams over a period of three years whilst Akermann was making a name for himself creating custom effects pedals for the likes of MBV and U2 under the name Death By Audio. The album turned out to become one of the most sought after underground records in 2007 resounding in worldwide acclaim and a major record deal with Mute, so the buzz and expectation around Exploding Head was obviously high but what we have here is an album which showcases a more diverse range of songs and shows a band who have risen to the challenge.
A Place To Bury Strangers play the Garage in London tomorrow, bring earplugs.
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