Straight Arrows - “It’s Happening”
March 17th 2011 09:39
Music purists will tell you the best way to listen to anything, is on vinyl. From the crackle and hum to the raw sound to the fact you treat the large disc like a precious commodity because it’s so easily damaged, thus making it’s content more valuable. The 70’s were highlight of music on vinyl. The echoed recordings where modern rock first establish itself, along with it’s brother punk rock and heavy metal. There’s something beautiful in those simple, raw recordings.
So when Straight Arrows adopted that same sound for their new record, it made my eardrums dance. Sounding like it was recorded in a big empty warehouse in the middle of a cold London winter, all on a four track, 2 inch tape in one take, this is lo-fi garage rock at it’s most fundamental basic. Sounding like a cross between The Stooges and The Ramones, “It’s Happening” is a beautiful record in it’s ugly rawness.
Straight to the point, no bullshit from opener ‘Bad Temper’ til the albums end ‘Running Wild’ 25 minutes later, it’s a perfect homage to way music sound before pro tools and digital remastering. The songs themselves are excellent examples of garage punk with a hint of pop and a dash of grunge. Tracks like the opener, ‘Mind Control’ and ‘It Happens Again’ are the standouts on this record.
This won’t sit well with everyone. And especially the iPod generation where music has to sound slick and over produced. This is rough and raw and basic. It’s also brilliant.
So when Straight Arrows adopted that same sound for their new record, it made my eardrums dance. Sounding like it was recorded in a big empty warehouse in the middle of a cold London winter, all on a four track, 2 inch tape in one take, this is lo-fi garage rock at it’s most fundamental basic. Sounding like a cross between The Stooges and The Ramones, “It’s Happening” is a beautiful record in it’s ugly rawness.
Straight to the point, no bullshit from opener ‘Bad Temper’ til the albums end ‘Running Wild’ 25 minutes later, it’s a perfect homage to way music sound before pro tools and digital remastering. The songs themselves are excellent examples of garage punk with a hint of pop and a dash of grunge. Tracks like the opener, ‘Mind Control’ and ‘It Happens Again’ are the standouts on this record.
This won’t sit well with everyone. And especially the iPod generation where music has to sound slick and over produced. This is rough and raw and basic. It’s also brilliant.
Straight Arrows "It's Happening"
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