Someday, soon one hopes, TEAM are going to achieve the success they deserve: persistent gigging and a brace of quality albums – this is their second – are winning fans and tickling the fancy of the right people in the rock press. The only sad thing is that the process is taking longer than their debut album suggested.
The Line From A-B picks up from where their previous offering, The Penalyn LP, left off: their rock is bruised but unbowed, able to battle its way out of any corner a harder-hitting heavyweight may put it in. Few headline bands these past twelve months haven’t had their confidence dented by TEAM’s warm-up performance, and they translate their on-stage ferocity to tape with no little aplomb. ‘Punk Rock Motors’ serves as an appropriate title, the music more suited to wild dragstrip racing than for consumption in the comfort of your family five-door. ‘Trencherman’ isn’t an ode to the London band’s biggest fan (and believe me when I say I wanted a shout out), but is just as bombastic as anything the Casio-shredding trio can concoct, albeit with a little more compositional restraint. Ten tracks of taut, bass-heavy rock ‘n’ roll later, one’s left nourished but confused: why is it that TEAM aren’t playing atop the bills they so often feature in? Are people slowly catching up, or is TEAM’s unashamedly unfashionable take on rock – no post-prefix really sticks to its bulging biceps – simply no good for fashion-following consumers?
It’d be a shame if further heads weren’t turned on to TEAM imminently, as The Line From A-B is the sound of four men in their element: it rocks harder and faster and stronger than many a leading brand, and for a fraction of the price.
-
7Mike Diver's Score