aaamusic | On 08, Oct 2011

Well now, what do we have here? What we have is a Hertfordshire band that are definitively not Enter Shikari, and I could not be more pleased with that alone. What Matadors seem to be doing instead seems to involve straddling between Joy Division and the more visceral moments of the Arctic Monkeys. ‘Battles’ is a tumultuous, howling aggressor of an alt-rock track, with seething guitars and a momentum like a runaway freight train, whereas ‘Grace’s Trigger’ is a slow-burning, burnt-out song with a heavy heart conveyed by a gently fuzzed-out bassline, and a melancholy lead guitar that twists into intriguing minor key games, as the rhythm guitar and drums keep up a resigned dance rock beat. The vocals get a little too dreary at times, but overall this is an emotive and yet still undeniably rock n roll track that hits a bile-flecked solo and a spoken-word breakdown that almost startles in its immediacy, even if the backing vocals in the chorus are a little out.

Finally, we’re back into Clash-tinted territory with the bass-driven verse riff of ‘Moscow’, as reverb shadows the jangling guitars in a manner that’s almost spaghetti western, lifting the mood from drawling rock in the vein of a slowed-down Franz Ferdinand into a sneering, challenging song that keeps the listener hooked in its melodic playfulness and lyrical standoffishness.

Overall, I’ll have to say that Kasabian fans might like Matadors, but really that tag does no justice. This five-piece are only young, but what they have to offer in this free download promises a world of music that could easily (and in some cases already does) surpass the lad rock camp. In fact, think Max Raptor, in the new wave of British punk rock, and you’ll have a better fit. It’s only eleven minutes, and it’s free: this is a rock deal you just can’t lose with.

 

Author: Katie H-Halinski