Klang - Love / No Thing

  by John Clarkson

published: 11 / 7 / 2003

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Review

Always one of the more exciting acts of the 90's Britpop era, Elastica shot to prominence across the winter and spring of 1994 and 1995 with a string of stunning singles, and a million-selling self-titled No. 1 album. Their career petered out six years later, a year or so after the release of a much-delayed, but slightly disappointing second album, 'The Menace'. Donna Matthews, the group's guitarist and co-songwriter, left the band in 1998. She has had a difficult few years, fighting a much-publicised addiction to heroin , but is now back with a new band, Klang, an all-girl trio, which also features German-born record shop employee, Isabel Waider, and Japanese drummer, Keisuke Hiratsuke. 'L.O.VE/No Thing', which has come out on vinyl and is limited to 1000 copies, is her first new recording since the 'Elastica' album. Both Matthews and Justine Frischmann, her fellow songwriter in Elastica, were always mainly influenced by 70's new wave. Both tracks are reminiscent of the Slits or more recently the Kills with their slightly dubby sound, but most of all, with Matthews' stuttering Wire-style guitar lines and brittle, shouted Fall-influenced vocals ,of Elastica themselves. The first track takes a typically cynically indifferent look at romance and is the more discordant of the two songs, while 'No Thing' is slightly more melodic and finds a hopeful Matthews taking renewed faith in that, whatever life throws at her, she will eventually see her way beyond it and work it through. There is little here then that Matthews hasn't done before, but, after so long away, and after everything that has happened , it is good to hear her back and in such fiery, but also optimistic form.

Track Listing:-

1 L.O.V.E.
2 No Thing