SLUGS - Bob Berdella Bizarre Bordello

Emilia, no longer paranoid, moves between rusty blues, acid fizz, (good) indie-rock provincialism and American flags. Bob Berdella Bizarre Bordello alliterates, breaks down and rebuilds a complex, richly nuanced rock landscape. A sound that's personal too, viscerally studied, deliberate, deeply felt. Pushed through often thrilling crossroads, fit for an aimless coast-to-coast trip; and, above all, a bastard sound. Like that of "Ed Gein": a post-punk take on the freak-edelic rampages of Ed Hall (those voices chasing each other in madness), amid sharp funk rhythms and hurricanes. It's all in here, the Slugs, from Reggio Emilia. Not bad at all, really. A sound full of desert, playing with tones, letting itself go under its breath. It revisits epic ascents for murderous ballads, only to abandon them a moment later inside instrumental vertigo that brings to mind Meat Puppets, blazing sun and scorpions ("Green River Killer"). Or it steeps a barely-contained rage in sand: "Sand".

So an Emilia that scrapes together shreds of rock gone by. It plays with little keyboards, vintage sounds, Page & Plant snapshots ("Low-Fi Tangerine"), moving at a steady pace ("I Could Have Been A Contender") and stumbling ("Love Part Two"). Art-punk still manages to be a game capable of kicking up a certain racket ("Impress Metal Packaging"), just as the funk of "So Fine" is stuffed with a few stoner blows. Tracks that flow with feverish ardor ("The Day They Put Down Land From Hollywood"), riding on instrumentals from another era, like "Salix Dead Tree", where hints of Irish music vibrate, or, if you like, a thin thread winds through a labyrinth all the way to Led Zeppelin, number III.

With a proggy emphasis, instead, "Requiem For A Dead Rabbit" attacks with space-noise overreaches, melancholy piano interludes and a voice in the style of Nick Cave. And, remembering the lesson well, it recites acid sequence-shots straight out of the 70s manual by heart, dives into kosmische expanses and chooses to die math-rock.

A record that blends genres and styles without overthinking it. It certainly doesn't have the courage, or perhaps the desire, to aim too high. It chooses to look overseas with a libertine, playful spirit, well aware it must stay at the feet of the giants it's paying tribute to. But if the Slugs have what it takes to grow further, for now, here's a fine example of extremist temptation for your noisy, couldn't-care-less, gutsy summer. And don't forget the beers, mind you...

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

30/04/2026