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 “From where we’re standing, things sound
pretty good and with heavy refrains and driving rhythms backed by a wall
of calamity, the boys get the show off to a great start.”
Given the space restrictions and what have you, that’s pretty much all
we had the chance to say about Tiredness Kills when we reviewed their
opening set at The Tavern in the winter edition of The LINC magazine.
Yet despite their numerous difficulties on that dark night in November,
we enjoyed Tiredness Kills’ performance so much we wanted more, and
promptly pestered them for a demo so that we could head back to LINC HQ
for another Unsigned Exposed.
And it’s a good thing we did too, for the six tracks of warm and
wondrous indie that make up said demo do far more justice to the band
than a botched-up half hour at The Tavern could ever possibly do.
For starters, that ‘wall of calamity’ has been broken down to make way
for clear melodies, cathartic lyrics and crisp guitars that cut a clean
path through some enjoyably pulsating bass and snapping drums.
Those ‘heavy refrains’ are much less heavy on record, which in this case
is certainly a good thing. Indeed, whilst the confines of the studio
seem to have done away with what seemed like unbridled force in a live
setting, they certainly haven’t stripped Tiredness Kills of any of their
energy, channelling it instead into a much more polished power that
presses hard against the walls of your stereo speakers and threatens to
rip its way across the room.
And then there’s the ‘driving rhythms’, which are very much still in
place, and rightly so, since without them the band seem to loose some of
the edge that helps them stand out from the crowd.
This is most evident on “Killin’ Time’, a much slower number that seems
quite content to drift gently along. It’s by no means a bad song, but
for us it just doesn’t showcase what Tiredness Kills can really do if
they put their peddle to the proverbial metal.
If any song does, it’s probably ‘Muesli’, which comes straight
afterwards and fights hard for its place as your new favourite song as
it takes all the best bits of the CD and gels them together beautifully.
It’s a thrilling piece of music; that bulbous bass coming to the fore
and dragging some sharp guitars and rollicking drums along for a rocky
ride, all topped off nicely with a rich, enticing solo and great lyrics.
Yet that’s not to say that the other songs aren’t equally enjoyable.
We’re also quite partial to a bit of ‘Got it All’, which again pretty
much sums up the energy and vigour that first attracted us to this band.
If we’re drawing comparisons, then it’s hard not to mention the
Libertines-like sound which slides, sometimes more subtly than others,
underneath most tracks on this demo. Though whilst those doodling
guitars and the occasional stretchy vocals are undoubtedly reminiscent
of Messrs Doherty and Barrett, we doubt very much that Tiredness Kills
are just one of the scores of bands cashing in on the post-Libs’ indie
scene.
Instead, what we have with Tiredness Kills is something fresh,
invigorating and exciting and exactly what we need in Wigan right now.
In a nutshell: A warm, wonderful little collection of tunes that patch
together all the best bits of indie music and do away with all the guff
that remains in the genre.
You might like this if you enjoy: The Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things
and The Kooks (maybe)
Recommended link:
►
www.myspace.com/tirednesskills
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