Snake Magnet (out July 13th in the UK) is the forthcoming album from Manchester clatter-rock trio Kong.
The album is a collection of hard-rcoking avant garde post-punk tracks. The guitar, bass, and drums bang grind away, producing a grungy, Mudhoney-esque sound. The murky vocals add to that grungy feel being alternately barked, screamed, and spoken.
Butthole Surfers-worthy weirdness permeates the tracks. That's combined with a Fall-inspired Anglo sound that ensures the record is definitely not for pop fans.
There's a lot to be said for the band's confidence in their willingness to make a racket without a seeming care towards pop sensibility. Unfortunately they appear to get so wrapped up in the moment of making noise that they don't pay enough attention to what they've already played. This means that as the album progresses one can't help but get the sense that you've already heard this song.
That sense is also due to the nearly complete lack of melody or hooks within the songs. There are plenty of examples of Art Rock and experimental bands that use melody and catchy hooks or refrains without damaging the artistic integrity of their music (Sonic Youth, Fugazi, etc). Kong can not be counted among them just yet.
With these elements absent, Snake Magnet becomes merely an album full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Best tracks: "Whet Yer Knives", "Good Graphics"
Track listing for Snake Magnet:
- Leather Penny
- Blood of a Dove
- Whet Yer Knives
- The Stench of Internal Fire
- Good Graphics
- What's Yer Name Called
- Sport
- A Hint of Rennit, Innit
- Count To 9
- K(l)ong
4.0/10
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