Review: ShitNoise ‘I Cocked My Gun And Shot My Best Friend’
As I sit her listening to yet another new album by a band I’ve never heard of before, I wonder why I put myself through this. However, it then strikes me that I’m extremely lucky to listen to so much new music and experience bands for the first time and with that a huge Grinch type grin appears across my face.
My first reaction upon hearing ShitNoise – a noise punk band formed just over two years ago in Monte-Carlo, is that they have elements that remind me of Tennessee rockers Neighborhood Texture Jam but with more of a grungy feel to them. The trio consist of Aleksejs Macions (vocals and guitar), Vova Dictor (guitar) and Paul Albouy (drums) and they make one hell of a racket.
I Cocked My Gun And Shot My Best Friend is the band’s third album that confronts the harsh realities of society and the lasting psychological impact of traumatic events. Most of the songs are short, spiky affairs, with huge riffs, double kick drums and scuzzy guitars until the penultimate track, Hashish (The Yelling Song), which is over seven minutes long. This is followed by the finale, the slowed down The Bathroom Brawl which kind of doesn’t fit the overall aesthetic, but I love the jazzed-up saxophone as it feels all nice and relaxed, a world away from its title and adds another dimension to the album.
The madness begins with an onslaught of weird noises on the opening track Ho-Ho! (No More) and then explodes into life with Brown Morning as the drums lead the way, setting a great tempo and demonstrating the energy that the band possesses. The vocal style won’t be to everyone’s taste, especially if you like them clean, run away and hide now as they sound as if they are being delivered via a megaphone.
elements that remind me of Tennessee rockers Neighborhood Texture Jam but with more of a grungy feel…
As Gum Opera kicks in, you can finally hear that ‘90s grunge sound in the guitars, which is impressive, think Sonic Youth on this one, it’s then followed by the wonderfully titled Pleasant Guff which wouldn’t have been out of place if it had been written by one of the plethora of bands that came out of the Seattle movement at the end of the last century.
Through gritty soundscapes and a stream of consciousness lyrics, the band, in their own words, ‘paints an ugly portrait of present-day existence and the enduring human spirit in the face of relentless adversity’, with anguished songs like X-Ray Phantom and the more poignant Endless Void that feels full of heartbreak and sadness. Floating soon follows before they bounce back to life with Teenage Survival which feeds my Neighborhood Texture Jam fuzziness once again.
Hacked is my favourite song on the album with its funny opening monologue, that then feeds the angst written lyrics and the crazy composition of the song. It’s as if they’ve just really let loose and go a bit mad on this one, which I just love. Their native tongue comes to the fore on the punky Si Tu Touches À Mes Pedales before closing with the two longer songs, Hashish (The Yelling Song) and The Bathroom Brawl, I mentioned earlier. A strange ending to a strange but very enjoyable album.
Label: Cruel Nature Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Twitter | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
