Why do bands insist on putting intros at the start of their records? I think they serve no purpose at all – first impressions count and I want to be instantly attracted to a CD if it’s going to keep my attention. So sticking 30-odd seconds of a band jamming at the opening just makes me want to lose interest. It’s a good job for NoSkidoo that I continued to listen on – thankfully the rest of this EP is far better than the first impression they gave me.
This Winchester trio actually had a forum on PT a long time ago and for those of you who remember, you’ll be pleased to know this set of songs is far better than anything they did back then. However, in the grand scheme of things there’s nothing amazing here – NS are a competent local band but none of the songs strike me as being anything to write home about. ‘Sheena’s Mid-Life Crisis’ has a decent vocal melody, for example, but the structure of the song meanders and ends up being far too long. One thing that is noticeable is the bass is really badly recorded throughout – during ‘New Direction’ it kind of rumbles horribly and sounds a little out of place, which is more a fault with the recording than the band. This is an average demo, not particularly bad but then they won’t be chasing the scene’s leading lights either…
www.noskidoo.com
Paul