We Insist - The Babel Inside Was Terrible

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 24 / 10 / 2009

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Review

French noise pioneers We Insist! follow up their 2007 release ‘Oh! Things are So Corruptible’ with yet another genre bending masterpiece. With comparisons to some of the best alternative/hardcore bands around including At the Drive in, Primus, Tool and the Queens of the Stone Age the band have a hell of a peer list to live up to. Not a straightforward kind of record at any point, there are twists and turns throughout the whole of 'The Babel Inside Was Terrible'. We Insist! have been together for fourteen years and it is clear they have used this time very, very well and stood the test of time. Listening to ‘The Babel Inside Was Terrible’, it is clear they have kept on pushing themselves further here in order to rank amongst their peers rather than being another wannabe version of such acts. They have elements of all the groups I have mentioned but, rather than sounding a little bit like a few of them from time to time, it is instead like these acts have been blended together perfectly to make something vast and unique. The start, stop genius of ‘Efficiency and Bad Habits’ sounds very much like DC heroes Dismemberment Plan ,with Julien Allanic's bass guitar effects giving a real warped vibe to the whole song. This is interspersed with incredibly tight drumming from Etienne Gailochet, who ridiculously also sings, but not like Phil Collins though! This song makes full use of all the band's tricks through constant time changes and mad guitar effects. This sets a great back drop to everything as it end in typically unpredictable style by sounding as if they’d run out of tape. ‘Custom Device’ is yet another example of how the band really experiment with sound. It includes a great and pretty much indecipherable use of the saxophone by Francois Wong. There are effects throughout this that make it sound like some space age Tom Morello-esque madness, but in a far more natural and unprocessed manner, creating a really sweet beat that almost seems like it is too straightforward for everything else. For those of you who got a twinge at the mention of Primus, look no further than ‘Dead Dog’ which does the impossible by somehow managing to sound Primus-y…without actually sounding like Primus. Anyone familiar with Primus would surely think that you either sound exactly like them or not at all, but because of their incredibly unique sound on this track We Insist! have made their sound their own and right at the end seem to go into realms most listeners really won't see coming. Part of the reason I feel the need to name check some of the bands who stand alongside We Insist! is because all the bands have die-hard fans. They aren’t the type of fans that listen to the radio and pop down HMV once of twice a year. They are hardcore music fans who love a challenge. If that sounds like you We Insist! are absolutely the band for you and deserve your love. They seems to sweat both talent and fresh ideas and given the right exposure will no doubt influence anyone who gives them the time of day. Mind Blowing stuff.

Track Listing:-

1 Déjà Vu
2 Oakleaves
3 Efficiency And Bad Habits
4 In A Maze
5 Custom Device
6 Thoughtful Anatomy
7 Dead Dog
8 Ancient Follies
9 Our Countries
10 Cogent Stories
11 Biting Tongues

Label Links:-

http://www.mainstreamrecords.de/