Brass Castle

It’s quite interesting to see just how far Refused’s influence has spread over the years since their demise. While Brass Castle have very little to do with those randy Swedes on an overt level, listening to this two-piece a bit closer reveals quite a number of direct influences in song structure and general distemper. Loud and abrasive despite featuring only two members, instant comparison to the onslaught of duos is inevitable yet these guys are quite happier making cacophonous noise between songs and filtering in the odd AC/DC straight-up riff as opposed to typical twang-and-plunk. Still, they are clearly capable of covering this ground. Tunes such as "Dance Between the Raindrops” have plenty of the pelvic thrust and screechy vocal line that defines the subculture. Yet it’s on tracks such as "Yellow Jackets” or "Shark Alley Shag” where the current of spastic, confrontational punk rock truly shines and these complete weirdoes have something innovative, startling and powerful.