'Ribs', the debut mini-album from the confusingly named Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister, is a funny old beast. The band are keen to proclaim the influence of art rock legends such as Bjork and Radiohead upon their sound and, whilst such elements are apparent here, it is the spectre of forward thinking metal bands like Neurosis and Tool that translates most aptly to descriptions of this record.
Atmospherically this shares many commonalities with the world of post-metal, the guitars probably spend more time hinting at oncoming musical onslaughts than they do actually pummelling your ears with riffage. This is particularly apparent on the midpoint of the album, 'Man Outside Cumberland Arms, Byker, 11/07/11'. The use of samples in particular creates an uneasy sense of darkness that pervades all of the five tracks on display. Bands often try to coax this kind of potent atmosphere out of their music, but not all bands manage to be successful in such goals. Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister manage it with ease.
With only one track on this mini-album being fewer than five minutes in length, it is fairly accurate to describe most of the songs on 'Ribs' as ‘slow-burners’. Their songs rise and fall like waves on an unpredictable stormy sea. The band manages to create the unnerving impression that there is always something sinister lurking in the background, waiting to sneak up on unsuspecting listeners everywhere and smother them in its murky heaviness. This is most apt in terms of closer 'Regards, Bison', a disorientating nine and a half minute effort that sounds like the soundtrack to a genuinely horrific trip.
What Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister do is not all that unique on the face of things, but the way they go about writing their music means that their sound has its own distinctive traits. The absence of the harsh vocals that many would be expecting to hear proves particularly effective in this regard. As such, 'Ribs' deserves a whole lot of credit from listeners. It’s engaging, despite the track lengths and has a real venomous sting hiding in its tail. This is very much worth checking out if you are a fan of forward thinking heavy music.
'Ribs' is out now on Goo Grrrl Records.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
.jpg)
