Hamilton, ON's TV Freaks already horked up a pile of singles and two big, beefy full-lengths, and now the garage punk crew are adding to the amassment with Bad Luck Charms. Dripping with sludgy riffs and guttural wailing, the record is a gut-wrencher from the first retch until the upheaval of the last track.
There are some moments of respite from the sludge here: "Victim" momentarily gives way to a melodic interlude, which evokes the cleaner tones of the band's previous LP, Two, while "Love Fade" drifts out like a pretty post-punk tune. These sentiments are well placed and pleasantly executed, but it's more satisfying to rip into the real meat of the album, the no-frills, no-bullshit regurgitation of punk, hardcore and garage motifs that make up most of the proceeding here. "Ebb and Flow" oozes with snotty vocals and rides a high-octane riff straight into the ensuing "Night and Day"; "Courtesy Oppression" is a wrecker that momentarily exhausts itself before chugging ahead into album highlight "Forget You," which is (only slightly) less of a sonic assault.
"Twenty One" also stands out among the tracks, arriving just before the album concludes with the riotous "Glue." By trimming all the fat from their sound, TV Freaks have offered up their best and most bare-bones record yet.
(Deranged)There are some moments of respite from the sludge here: "Victim" momentarily gives way to a melodic interlude, which evokes the cleaner tones of the band's previous LP, Two, while "Love Fade" drifts out like a pretty post-punk tune. These sentiments are well placed and pleasantly executed, but it's more satisfying to rip into the real meat of the album, the no-frills, no-bullshit regurgitation of punk, hardcore and garage motifs that make up most of the proceeding here. "Ebb and Flow" oozes with snotty vocals and rides a high-octane riff straight into the ensuing "Night and Day"; "Courtesy Oppression" is a wrecker that momentarily exhausts itself before chugging ahead into album highlight "Forget You," which is (only slightly) less of a sonic assault.
"Twenty One" also stands out among the tracks, arriving just before the album concludes with the riotous "Glue." By trimming all the fat from their sound, TV Freaks have offered up their best and most bare-bones record yet.