SLUG GUTS - Playin’ In Time with the Deadbeat

Dust and sweat, desert and blazing horizons. Caught between punk-blues and wave bastardized by gothic sneers, Australia's Slug Guts reignite the fuse of a by-now mythical past, reinvigorating a homegrown tradition that goes all the way back to "Scum", whose sax contortions also light a votive candle to the unforgotten King Snake Roots.

Sarcastic, angry and paranoid, the Brisbane boys essentially keep the quality level already shown on the previous record, serving up a handful of well-crafted tracks squarely aimed at those who simply can't help going back to certain long-gone days.

In a decadent setting where the Nick Cave of the early Birthday Party would feel right at home, "Playin' in Time with the Deadbeat" consolidates a sound that's hardly original but hits hard as it runs through its various influences.

So, while tracks like "Suckin' Down" and "Moving Heat" also carry echoes of Sisters Of Mercy, hysteria takes center stage and turns minimalist on "Order Of Death", while the guitars keep stretching out the space, turning Australia's endless outback into fresh prairies crossed by none-too-trustworthy hordes of cowboys ("Black Sports").

The blues, of course, remains a living, refreshing fire (the title track, the acid swamps in Gun Club style on "Blond Hairs"), as does the shadowy, hypnotic post-punk edge ("Stranglin' You Too"), but there's also room for moments of pure celebration of pain, as in the slow, solemn "Do You Wanna Hang Right There".

Nothing earth-shattering, but for a night in good company, with a few drinks and a bit of tobacco, it does the job just fine.

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02/10/2012