This is something that probably shouldn’t be said, but here it is anyway: there are a couple of moments on ‘The Boy Kisser Sessions’ that put you in mind At The Drive-In.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop right there. Okay, let’s clear this one up straight away. Cattle Drums is not the next ATDI. For most of the 14 minute running time of this record, Cattle Drums doesn’t sound like ATDI. It’s just there happen to be a few moments (most often in the vocal delivery) that are reminiscent of the El Paso post-hardcore standout.
So what does Cattle Drums sound like? From the MySpace page; “When a nihilist gets a girl pregnant, has to pay child support and finally cares about something.” Huh?
Basically, this quintet, hailing from Oneonta, NY, is damn difficult to pin down in terms of sound. Take opener, ‘New Furniture and Wigs’: it starts in a round-up the wagons country style before generating into something altogether more experimental; a cacophony of noise, shrieks and general bizarreness. ‘Who Punched Pat Moore’s Face’ starts as though it could be a Foo Fighters song but finishes as anything but. ‘Sluts and Coconuts’ (what a title) has a real genteel opening before guttural shrieks find away of piecing the ear drum, only to chill out again. The acoustic guitar on ‘Borvg the Nag’ even sounds a little like Nelly Furtado’s ‘All Good Things (Come To An End)’. Sort of. It’s all over the place, never really sticking with any sound for too lone. ADHD-core then?
For the most part, the intermingling of indie tinges, hard rock guitars, and chaotic mindsets works well. Yes, it’s a little messy at times. Yes it can be hard to get you head around, but ultimately this is decent enough stuff. It never takes itself seriously (look at those titles!) but it’s not village idiot stupid. Cattle Drums may like to play silly, but there’s an obvious musical intelligence on offer here, and ‘The Boy Kisser Sessions’ is a rare little treat.
Alex