Fire Engines - Hungry Beat

If Jesus & the Mary Chain had a baby and called it the Feelies, it would probably sound a lot like the early 80’s Scottish Post-Punk foursome, Fire Engines. Birthed from the same scene that produced Pop acts like Aztec Camera & Orange Juice, Fire Engines forged a distinctive sound that inspired such bands as the aforementioned Mary Chain, Primal Scream, & Franz Ferdinand.

With a sizeable dose of tinny guitar, and an excessive about of cowbell, the heavily instrumental group skirts the line between Jangle-Pop & punchy Dance Rock. Although lead guitarist & vocalist David Henderson occasionally drops in syrupy vocals on tracks like “Candyskin,” the majority of the album is made up of his yelps and spirited screams. Bassist Graham Main’s kinetic rhythms are not only incredibly dance-able, but also rough sounding. Needless to say, I have had a great time driving around town listening to this.

Recently the band reformed (upon request of Franz Ferdinand) to play a couple shows in Glasgow & London. Here’s hoping that there are more to follow.



"Candyskin" video

Hungry Beat (mp3)

More tracks at:
Acute Records
Myspace


–Popkoff