There didn’t seem to be much in the way of information when this CD arrived and after a brief visit to the bands mysteriously info-less website I’m still a bit unsure of any background to give on these guys apart from the assumption that they are based in the UK and recorded this three track demo in May with John Hannon at the helm.
I suppose the cliché is to let the music do the talking, or in this case aggressively shout, scream, twist and power its way across the three tracks on this demo. But what’s that I hear you sigh? Aren’t these bands ten a penny nowadays? No, Navajo Code have something strikingly different standing them apart from the usual angst ridden Xxlive-journalcorexX tripe. In fact I wouldn’t even pigeon hole them amongst those usual suspects as there is something quite arty and at times experimental but more importantly genuine about the tracks on display. Right from the off on ‘Dance of the Young Blood’ the inviting feedback shows glimpses of promise before everything kicks in and knocks your bollocks off with a massive wall of raw sound and energy resulting in a brutally forceful aural onslaught
The screams sound effective and natural whilst the guitar riffs are clever but not overly outrageous. An experimental edge is evident, but the band don’t seem to lose themselves up their own arses which is often a common problem for bands with an eye for innovation. The arguable faults are a lack of melody and even after a few listens I can’t really find many structures within the songs or seem to be able to memorise any of the tracks, but that is far from the be all and end all of good music. Admittedly and rather bluntly, this release isn’t going to rewrite the rule book and I think there is still progress to be made but NAVAJO CODE are the most exciting band I’ve heard today and this is after hearing the new JIMMY EAT WORLD album.
Mike