aaamusic | On 30, Aug 2011

One must wonder what possesses a fledgling Scottish rock band such as Stonesthrow to call their debut album something as simultaneously meaningless and ferociously pretentious as Judas Or Rebel. Is it to present some comment on the nature of humanity that is too subtle, too honest or too real for a sub-standard mind such as mine to perceive? Or is it just two worthy sounding words thrown together to make this shambles of a record sound more important than the actual songs could ever hope to make it? Considering the fact that the vast majority of the songs on offer here sound either like a gormless Oasis tribute act or a particularly workmanlike Stereophonics B Side, my money is firmly on the latter.

 

Let’s get the good side out of the way first, and make no mistake, dear reader, there is a good side to this record however faint it is, lead guitarist Andy Murray definitely has the chops to make this record slightly better than a complete write-off, even if his electric guitar sound literally NEVER changes from a slightly warmed over Les Paul-Marshall amp combo, he plays at least with some panache, and the solo’s, especially on the likes of Where Do You Go Now and first single Stand Taller can hold a listeners attention better than some of the weaker tracks on the album.

 

Well, so much for singling out the good in this album. The rest of this record is atrocious, from singer Derek Murray’s grating, one note whine of a voice, to the utterly lifeless production (apparently they re-recorded the whole album after initial mixes were deemed not “Live” enough. Sweet merciful Christ, the irony.) Even the song titles are clichés in themselves (“Slowly Breaking Through”? Seriously?), and the less said about the lyrics the better. In short, if you thought Viva Brother’s debut was a bit too progressive, a bit too clever for you, then Stonesthrow have got twelve whole tracks of pure audio pointlessness to tide you over until the next Beady Eye record. Enjoy.

 

Author: Will Howard