Glueball - The Good The Band And The Ugly

  by Alex Halls

published: 5 / 5 / 2005

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Formed circa 2000, the band that is Glueball takes its name from a hypothetical object consisting of two or more elementary particles that mediate or carry the strong, or nuclear force (gluons). Far from as complex as this might suggest, 'The Good, The Band and the Ugly', on Naked Dog Records, is a seventeen track record that flows, one song into another seamlessly. As the more elaborate definition of its name suggests, Glueball oozes energy aplenty in a music scene where there is a real lack of original punk spirit coming through nowadays. Fortunately, Tim Lane (guitar), Rob (drums), Jonny Wah Wah (vocals) and Clive (bass) present a level of antagonism rarely seen elsewhere. This antagonism is what always attracted me to punk and shines through unopposed on the album, a sign of the care-free nature of smaller acts and a characteristic that should be more widely embraced. The band is pretty inconspicuous at the moment; there is little information available about them. It seems as if Glueball is making a name for itself the old-fashioned way, drumming up support by playing the smaller venues and dedicating itself to achieving through determination and spirit: that’s the way we like it. It isn’t just routine punk throughout. Mid-track, 'Rude Girl', although very short, leads Glueball into ska territory, encroaching enough to sound different but staying well away from adding brass sections that would have made it fully authentic. 'The Good, The Band and the Ugly' is not one for the nervous. It is fast-paced throughout, but never furiously so. Jonny Wah Wah pumps out the vocals speedily but doesn’t sound rushed into it, leading to a fantastic sound, as a result of its amalgamation with some of the most creative background guitaring structures, helped, one can imagine, by the use of effects pedals. In 'Love', a song that solely repeats that word, Jonny performs in a way that actually increases the satisfaction that arises from listening to all the tracks; discreet changes in his tone and pitch act as the key to this success. With a finale of: 'Girlfriend One'; 'Girlfriend Too'; 'Girlfriend Free'; Glueball portray perhaps the most well-thought of their ideas on the album. As the last of those tracks indicates, the vocalist feels that he would be better off without attachment, therefore concluding, in effect, a mini story that charms. Normally I would have been disappointed at the repetitious nature of the drumming and some of the lead guitaring on sections of 'The Good, The Band and the Ugly'. This is, however, punk the way it is meant to be played; hard, fast and with the two phalanges directly located to the left of the thumb stuck firmly up at those who oppose. There is, however, nothing of any real substance in the majority of the lyrics, yet they are all most appealing, very real and down to earth which makes for punk at its best and well worth the money.

Track Listing:-

1 In Out
2 Know You Know Me No
3 Hangman
4 Short Song
5 Can't Police Me
6 Love
7 Greenbird
8 Taker
9 Stop
10 Rude Girl
11 Starfucker
12 Freakshow
13 Chainsaw
14 Powerdrive
15 Girlfriend
16 Girlfriend Too
17 Girlfriend Free

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