aaamusic | On 20, May 2012

Reminiscent of bands like the Stooges, New York Dolls and the Ramones, London band Limozine produce music with a trashy punk rock style while still retaining sophistication. Gritty vocals and garage rock guitar merge with a bounce of indie. The album opens with Twenty Greatest Hits, growling yet melodic guitars meet crafted harmonies and zinging guitar solos. It’s an absorbing and catchy opener.

The bouncy punk rock sound bleeds into the second track, Deep Fried Love, a blend of rhythmic riffs and wonderfully gruff vocals. It has the same indie meets grainy punk rock style as the opener, only with a little more punk power. Hypnotic drums and dirty vocals open Siamese Twins, a strangely dark song. Jennifer X has a real American feel to it, with a bluesy rockabilly style and an addictive baseline.

Girls Don’t has an energetic grungy punk style with humming guitar solos and droning riffs. The lyrics are repetitive yet fit the rhythmic style of the song. Much of the album has a catchy grunge-esque sound to it, at time the vocals kind of sound like a male version of Courtney Love on earlier Hole songs.

The American feel returns for Beercan Blues with trashy (if you pardon the pun) lyrics and melodic guitar to contrast. Drink Ya Self Out Of It is an interesting mix of top-tapping guitar and sharp screams at the end of each chorus. Sniffing Glue features spiteful lyrics which capture the attitude of the album. ‘I’ve been sniffing glue with your girlfriend’ followed by a malicious ‘ha ha’.

The album ends with Hotel TV Swimming Pool which isn’t the best song. It’s a bit of a low point to end the album. And by this point following Welcome to the Rodeo things feel a bit too irritatingly American clichéd (especially for an English band). There are some very good elements to the album, such as the captivating guitar work and catchy nature of most of the songs. However the lyrics seem a bit shallow and while this works in areas a bit more depth would benefit some songs.

★★★★★

Rose Benge