Clipd Beaks - Hoarse Lords
[Lovepump United]

Fuzz is our weapon of choice and we intend to use it. So say California / Los Angeles based quartet Clipd Beaks, whose “Hoarse Lords” album will inevitably draw comparisons to Liars and labelmates HEALTH. Within an open-ended Albini style production, Clipd Beaks’ brand of psychedelic scuzz rock draws on a number of influences from Krautrock rhythms to art-rock guitar textures.

In Nic Barbeln they posses a suitably deranged frontman whose indecipherable vocals seem channeled through a warped megaphone. Like the lovechild of early Cobain and David Yow, his anguished screams and freaky wails give you the impression Barbeln gets his kicks from driving cars into brick walls.

So it’s fair to say that those who crave the finer things in life should probably turn away now. Intricate guitar solos and delicately placed glissando melodies are not part of the Clipd Beaks manifesto. The chaotic double salvo opening of “Melter” and “Wrathscapes” are either the product of a ramshackle high school garage band or a group intent on stretching the boundaries of art-rock/jam band dynamics as far as possible.

Having said that, “Wrathscapes” forms into an almost dreamlike sequence, as Greg Pritchard’s tranquil guitar work and Berbeln’s distant hypnotic vocals come across as if the band are locked in another dimension and are trying desperately to break back into the real world again. Beneath all the distorted debris and chaos, "Hoarse Lords" does possess lush melodies. There may be some truth, after all, in their claims that some of the album sounds like Portishead.

“Black Glass”, though, takes all of five seconds to creep up and grab you by the throat, slamming you against a brick wall. The rhythm section locks into a furious groove, as Berbeln laments having to ‘work all day’, while Pritchard’s guitar seems as if it is strung with barbed wire.

However, an underlying maturity is prevalent in the songwriting of a few key compositions, such as the title track and “Let It Win”. “Hoarse Lords”, for example, kicks off with an XTC influenced drum intro that suggests this quartet appreciate the finer aspects of the post-punk movement. While, “Let It Win”, sees Clipd Beaks strip things right back into swirls of psychedelic acoustica. It is such compositions that show there is a little more to this band than meets the eye.

Amidst the jagged guitar, thundering percussion and Berbeln’s mantra-like howls, Clipd Beaks compositions seem to linger in the shadows, striking with the full force of a bulldozer when you least expect it. It’s difficult to work out if they are simply hiding their limitations behind clouds of distorted fuzz or they are indeed a band willing to drag art-rock kicking and screaming towards the realms of psychedelia. This is either the beginnings of something fantastic or yet another false dawn. Clipd Beaks’ vitriolic nature could see them implode at any given moment. There’s no middle ground on “Hoarse Lords”, you’re either going to love it or hate it with a passion. But, Barbeln and co wouldn’t have it any other way.

Track Listing:

01. Melter
02. Wrathscapes
03. Manipulator
04. High on Charms
05. Hoarse Lords
06. We Will Bomb You (We Will)
07. Woo Melodies
08. Black Glass
09. Let It Win