Album #115: Violent Soho - Hungry Ghost

Violent Soho

Hungry Ghost (2013)

Violent Soho are another one of those local Aussie bands that Triple J are happy to flog the crap out of just so you can't criticise them for only playing hip hop or fucking shithouse dubstep or seventeenth-rate EDM. The members of the band proudly list Sonic Youth, Nirvana and other 90s alternogrunge bands as influences, and have spent the last few years slogging their way around Australia, playing gigs and recording albums (you know, the old fashioned way of getting your tunes out there and doing what you love).

Last year was arguably the band's real breakout year, though. They released their third album, Hungry Ghost (which has some rather lurid, craptacular cover art, it must be said), which featured the song Covered In Chrome, a top 20 song in the 2013 Hottest 100. The album, and the song, are the first charters the band has had in Australia, with the album reaching a creditable number 6 on the charts.

I thought it might be nice to check it out.

The Album

The 90s grunge influence is all over this album. Ballsy, dirty riffs abound, supported by powerful, energetic drumming and vocals that are not so much singing as they are bellowing into the microphone. This is tied together by a production aesthetic that keeps the music loud, powerful and dynamic, while allowing the quieter parts of the songs to be clearer in sound. To the band's credit, there are also a few tracks where they demonstrate more of an indie pop/rock sensibility, turning the volume down slightly on the cacophonous riffwork.

Cacophonous riffwork though is the theme of the day. Opening duo Dope Calypso and Lowbrow combine grungy riffs with careful building of intensity through the verse (in typical grunge style), though the latter features a bridge that constitutes rather an interesting musical shift, being melodic and more atmospheric. Covered In Chrome has a great, catchy riff structure that's got plenty of crunch, however the trite, second rate lyrics make the vocal sound like the fauxest of faux outrage (plus the YEEAHYEAAHYEEAHYEEAH bit is downright fucking annoying). Gold Coast and Liars keep the bog-standard grunge coming, while Eightfold veers more towards the post-hardcore pairing angry, energetic riffs with a wildly manic vocal line.

Through the middle of the album Violent Soho demonstrate a more nuanced approach, and dare I say it, this is the most musically interesting portion of the album. Saramona Said and OK Cathedral take a more commercial alternative path and sound perfect for high rotation on Triple M (and I mean that not in a disrespectful way), while Fur Eyes is the closest thing on the album to an indie pop song - harmonies, sweet guitar licks and a strong focus on melody replace the monster riffs and angsty vocals. It is also quite a good little song. Even In The Aisle, despite it also being quite a speedy, rocking tune has some subtle differences that mark it as closer to indie/post-punk in sound, like Interpol on steroids.

The Verdict

If Hungry Ghost represents the full arrival of Violent Soho as a feature part of the Australian music scene, then it's certainly a good way to mark that arrival. It's a decent, driving rock album with enough subtlety to mark Violent Soho as a band to watch through their next couple of releases. It doesn't set the world on fire, and sometimes all that fire and energy seems to be for show, but it gets the blood pumping and is a nice alternative to all that jangly meandering indie that fills the airwaves.

My rating: ***

Standout Tracks

Fur Eyes

Eightfold

In The Aisle

Up next: an Australian band named after a Neil Young song.