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A Gun Called TensionA Gun Called Tension Rogue/Inertia 'A Gun Called Tension' really kicks in at track five, Treason. In one of the best lyrics this year, ex-Murder City Devils vocalist Spencer Moody hollers "Turn up the volume / It's gonna be / A bad day" as a looping, tension-filled bassline takes over from a niggling, choppy guitar. Before you know it, the song has broken open with live drums kicking it along. It's defiant, sneering and tailor-made for peak-hour traffic. It's also nothing like the rest of the record. The brooding, gentle electronica of Electric Chair, the album's centrepiece, follows. Sean Reveron duets with Andrea Zollo of Pretty Girls Make Graves on this beautifully crafted piece, which gradually builds to Reveron's repeated mantra of "Lost in my head / I don't want to play the part / If I can't be myself / That's a poison dart". It's unsettling and slightly surreal, and wouldn't be out of place on Massive Attack's 'Mezzanine'. That's high praise. And so 'A Gun Called Tension' goes, with each track different from the preceding one but shedding more light on what A Gun Called Tension are capable of. Elements of dub, hip-hop, rock and electronica collide to create a whole that's far less confounding than it could be. Through it all, the key word is 'organic'. This entire project evolved rather than being planned out, and the intangible quality that gives to the resulting music is invaluable. It's a moody record, but not without hope. Founding members Dann Gallucci (Modest Mouse, ex-Murder City Devils) and Sean Reveron (Free Association) have a wealth of music knowledge, and they've used it - along with a bulging contacts book - well here. There's always something happening on 'A Gun Called Tension' but they've resisted the temptation to totally overwhelm the listener with noise. With collaborators on the record ranging from members of Blood Brothers to Built To Spill to Roots Manuva, this could have fallen apart with too many cooks spoiling the broth. Recorded as a labour of love, and without a record label, it could have been a self-indulgent mish-mash of sounds with no direction. It's not. It's one of the more challenging - and rewarding - records you'll hear this year. Work's already begun on the follow-up. Don't be left behind.  |
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