Lock And Key - No Fate
by Benjamin Howarth
published: 11 / 4 / 2004
Label:
Deep Elm
Format: CD
intro
Debut EP from Lock and Key, who are currently one of the heaviest bands on the Deep Elm roster
One of the heaviest bands on the Deep Elm roster at the moment, this debut EP from Lock And Key sounds like a taster of better things to come, especially as the band are already at work on their full length debut for the label. But for fans of hardcore or the more intense end of indie rock, then this is great listen. Post hardcore is perhaps technically not the hardest style of music to play; provided you can keep in time you don’t need to have the intricacies that a quieter band is forced to use to deal with, but there is certainly something that can lift a hardcore band out from the ordinary. There is undoubtedly a factor that separates a brilliant band like Hot Water Music from an average one. I think it is probably a combination of sincerity and energy, and the imagination to do something different within a genre that sometimes tends towards the predictable. Whatever the missing ingredient may be, Lock And Key have it. From the word go, the band makes you want to flail madly around the room like a demented punk, such is the energy they create. The album kicks off with a burst of static as guitars are plugged into amps, and the guitars kick off with a cccc-runch and we’re away, an intense burst of sound feeds into the throaty rasp of Ryan Shanahan. But this isn’t just an exercise in showing a tough, rocking style, each of these songs has a good structure, plenty of diversity and each let the listener know that the band really cares about making an interesting record. After the initial impact of the songs has left, there is plenty more of interest on later songs. Like all the best records, there are things you notice only after you’ve given the album a few plays and know what to listen for…. I think the band has better music in them, (just look at the progression Hot Water Music have made on their last two albums, or the great leap forward At The Drive In made with 'Relationship Of Command', or the twists and turns that Fugazi’s career has taken since 13 Songs) but there is enough energy and a quality of songwriting worthy of giving this debut release a thorough listen. Evidence that there is life in the punk scene for years to come!
Track Listing:-
1 Independence Game2 2nd Quarter Broken
3 Clusterfuck
4 Crutches
5 Selective Memory
6 Outsider
7 Provocation
reviews |
Pull Up The Floorboards (2004) |
Second release this year on the Deep Elm for Lock and Key, whose far too obvious similarities to Hot Water Music unfortunately let them down |
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
most viewed reviews
current edition
Serious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning DewMarika Hackman - Big Sigh
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart