Ikara Colt - 'Modern Apprentice' (Fantastic Plastic)
3/5
By: Tim Dellow
A lot has changed since the Colt's last album. The only competition back then was a bunch of aural pansies lumped together by the Enema called NAM (Namby Acoustic Machismo, or something). Their rendition of 'Daydream Nation' was certainly a preferable alternative, but now, with the likes of Bloc Party, The Rakes and Ladyfuzz on the scene, are the 'colt's Mark E Smith impressions as appealing?
Produced by the noisemonger behind The Locust, and with the addition of a new bassist (who regrettably sings on the horrifically trite 'Motorway'), the band have effortlessly surpassed their debut.
Yes, it is a better record than the last; with less to prove, the band have eased into an amalgamation of 'Witch Trials'-era Fall and the dreamier soundscapes of 'Bad Moon' Sonic Youth. While we are loathed to make such a direct comparison between two bands, the plagiarism warrants itl singer Paul Resende could be Thurston on 'Day Draws Thin', while he snarls and staggers on perplexing rhymes like a de-humoured Smith on 'I'm With Stupid'.
Attempts at contemporising their sound on 'Modern Feeling', meanwhile, see the driving Neu-esque bass, influenced by Hook (of Joy Division, not the good Doctor) with that 'oh so now' 80's post-punk guitar clamour. Only on 'Rewind' do the band approach something close to their own, with the hyperactive pop-junk lyrics over a jagged, disorientating drum-fill, interspersed with strains of the Pixies' 'Stormy Weather'. Also standing out is the electronic Fall (again) impression of 'Wasteground', a brooding bass-dirge that entertains but lacks any of the humour of parody.
Clear it is that this is a band so respectful of their influences, they're afraid to dilute any such genius with their own original embellishments. For the uninitiated listener, it may thrill with its energetic and fast-paced delivery, yet - ultimately - there's little fundamentally new here.
Artists in this article: Ikara Colt
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