Fast becoming familiar faces on the more miniscule stages at the Leeds festival, This Et Al *release an offering which will inevitably secure them as one of Leeds' most prominent and versatile outfits; the band's new double A-side vinyl released through *Double Dragon Music is testament to their wildly accelerated artistic ambition, and their unfaltering ability to intertwine left-field cacophony with pop-rock brilliance.
First track, 'You've Driven For Miles & Not Remembered A Thing' ignites with a male Kate Bush vocal, floating over some pitfight of a heavy rock foundation. It evolves into a monster - reminiscent of Queens Of The Stone Age *mixed up with the fragility of *Far, distilling off the very collision of grace and chaos that epitomises QOTSA at their finest and using this as its base. The vengeful "You better run until you find yourself, you better drive until you find yourself, you better walk until you find yourself..." hook overlays one of the most defining riffs to be birthed since Page Hamilton wrote the alt-metal opus 'Wilma's Rainbow' - perfect counterpoint to this unforgettable and irresistible chorus. The heartbeat of this song is like a cardiac arrest, the rhythm is a defibrillator.
On the flip-side to this perfect slice of alternative rock is the more frenetic, less-honed 'All You'll Ever Be Is A Dancer'. Far more hectic, its seeming lack of control is its whirlwind charm. The lyrics are indecipherable - save "refuge, refuge, all you'll ever be is a dancer" - and the melody seems to spiral around the entire song before deciding that it can never settle - how unsettling. Akin to This Et Al's Dance To The Radio brethren !Forward, Russia!, this song is as expressive and furious as a Jackson Pollock, although it is all wrapped up in a blissful minute and a half. An horrific storm in a timely teacup. Unabashed and unashamed, here's to a million more This Et Al singles.
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9Dan Kiener's Score