Vulcan Dub Squad

Every band tries to find their own niche when they’re starting out. The Vulcan Dub Squad are finding theirs through a combination of two: anarchic garage rock and prog-ambient guitar instrumentals. On This Nation’s Saving Face, they play these styles off each other but in a way that’s less about novelty than the release and restrain of various energies. The disc rollercoasters through starry epics, chaotic thrashers, epiphanic solos and collective acts of sonic damage. The most distinctive of these is "Frods n’ Mockers,” which puts the spotlight on vocalist Ranbir Gundu as he unleashes a verbal assault in Punjabi. The culture-move might sound like an echo of Cornershop’s early desi-punk exploits but it’s far more aggressive. Couple this with "Primal,” where the rest of the Squad voice their opinion on the national project through a sound-clash of absolute feedback and an all-male chorus of "O Canada.” These guys are totally insane, but there’s obviously logic to their madness and it remains sharp beyond the first listen.