penguinskillpolarbears

SCOTLAND LIVE - BANDS TO WATCH!!

PENGUINS KILL POLAR BEARS-Homebound CD-EP


The title track opens gently enough with ringing guitars as the lead vocal enters strongly with a distinct Scottish lilt as the drum rolls like distant thunder, drops away, the vocal and guitar soften – and then the whole track erupts in a firestorm of guitars, big beefy bass and rolling, solid, driving drumming, as the vocal intensifies, a lead guitar of some heat rises above it all and the track drives like a bouncing bomb that never ends, as the massive expanse of buzz-saw guitars lets the vocal rise up and just as you think it's all going to implode, they drop back and there's this snaking guitar lead over rolling drumming and the vocal strides alongside, only for it all to erupt once again and drive in a blitz of guitars to a magnificent final horizon, one stunner of a track. “In Everything” starts with a peal of guitars under slowly choppy drum work as the bass comes in deeply, the guitar stays on the high side of delicate, the vocal is a positive epitome of restraint and the whole thing moves slowly forward with the guitar melody on top and the vocal in the distance. Then, once more, this mass of guitars rains down on the listener as the rhythms continue to lurch ahead and the effect is truly wonderful, only for it all to revert back to the original structure, then rise up and break out once again. Huge sounding and so full of feeling, it's another massive sounding slice of Scottish emotive indie at its best. “Sand Castles” starts in a hail of twisted guitar feedback and searing heat leads before the molten riffing begins and this time the vocal is more anguished over the even more lurching rhythms as guitar leads snake between them, then the burning riffing returns and the effect is more like “Frightened Rabbit-hit-early Mogwai”, every bit as awesome as that combination might imply. “3:09” starts slower with upfront vocals, singing guitar lead and slowly bouncing drumming as an initially impassioned, pleading vocal takes the reins, only for yet another track to explode in this blistering emotive sea of guitars, this time more briefly before dropping back to what sounds more like a Twin Atlantic ballad with a ringing guitar lead. Then it all lifts off once again, and no matter how many times the band do this, it has the haiors standing up on the back of your neck every time. This time they accelerate the pace and this hurricane of sound just drives forward with guitars-driven power and rhythmic might. Finally, “Valley” gives us more of the same only different to round off what has been a simply stunning EP.

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