Todd - S/T

[Kevin]

Todd - S/T
Review by: Kevin McHugh
Loose Lips Sink Ships
Available Now

If you look at the photography on the inside insert and back cover of Todd's EP, you'd think that it was 1989 all over again. The pix are straight early Mudhoney or Nirvana, with lots of hair, jeans, sneakers, and guitars, taken at odd angles.

Which would be cool, but it turns out that the music is something else entirely. The front cover tells the tale here: its what looks like a sex pro superimposed over a Minotaur's head. In any case, Todd is fronted by ex Hammerhead Craig Clouse, who's forsaken the hot environs of Austin, TX for the rain and fog of London. Todd has come up with an EP full of sly, powerful, roaring aggression that has more in common with The Jesus Lizard than Soundgarden or Screaming Trees. The tense vocals mix up angry rants with b-movie monster screams, while the music is an angular punk/fuzz combo that keeps things straightforward and rockin'. Highlights include the distorted keys (did I mention that there's a demented Casio keyboard on this disc?) and pulse-pounding rhythm of 'The Sedan' and the Big Black/Rapeman-esque alcoholic rant of 'You Wouldn't Believe Me.'

Todd treads treacherous ground on the far borders of the stoner/doom world, stepping alternately into art, post punk, and distorted riffing. It's not for everyone, but if you can handle a lot of tension and sound shards mixed with fuzz and a bit of humor, then it's definitely for you.


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