TURN
TO BLACK - Shutterspeed
(Anvil Records)
Brisbane
band Shutterspeed's four-track EP owes a serious amount to the influence of
early You Am I, particularly the early EPs “Coprolalia” and “Can’t
Get Started” (which, sadly, are about as rarely sighted 
these
days as a display of honesty or humility from Gene Simmons). While the rock
chords are robust and chunky, there's a distinct lack of Tim Rogers' unique,
tantalising ability to pull a riff out of mid-air and spin it on his finger.
The title track, “Turn to Black”, opens the EP with some pub flavoured
power chords, while “I Want You” continues the general feel (although
at one stage I was concerned the lyrics were starting to remind me of John
Cougar Mellencamp's “Small Town”).
In “Leave Him Alone”, the vocals unfortunately reminded me of
Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder, which I can't really blame on the band, but put
me into a bad mood for a short period as I tried to detox my mind of corporate
flavoured faux grunge. The final track, “Baby, Naked”, is dominated
by a hook that wanders along the edge of “Sunshine of Your Love”,
before quickly jumping back to an early 1990s Australian independent guitar
feel (with a subtle deference to Thorpie influenced pre-Birdman Oz pub rock).
This EP takes the pub rock sound that finds favour with alcohol infected A&R
types, (but is frequently lost after nasty encounters with wannabe West Coast
FM rock production studios) and gives it a good honest go. If you gave Lee
Renaldo production duties, it'd sound even better. – Patrick
Emery
1/2
UNDER
CONTROL - Shutterspeed (Anvil/MRA)
Erstwhile I-94 Barfly Ken Shimamoto wants to know, "What is it about Aussie
bands and brass sections?" and I can't give a satisfactory answer. From the
Saints to the New Christs and Hunters and Collectors, a helluva lot have indulged
in 'em and it certainly lends the rock a different colour. Brisbane band Shutterspeed
are a guitar band that plows the same ground and it sounds pretty refreshing.
This is guitar-pop tinged with soul that resists the urge to be too mannered
or polished. A five-piece who've been around for a couple of years, Shutterspeed
cracked it for Triple Jay rotation with "Good Little Monkey" a couple of years
ago, a ditty that was one in the eye for the music industry (and is reprised,
in acoustic form). It's one of four songs on this EP, itself a taster for
the debut album , "Custom Made Hit Parade".
Opening track "Under Control" is the brassy attention-getter. Theer's no shortage
of guitar and the hornwork is straight off the third Saints album. So there.
"This Monster Must be Stopped" is a straight guitar rocker that does well.
It's got me confounded what people saw in the inoffensive country-rock of
Mike Nesmith and the ex-Monkee/stationery empire heir's "Different Drum" is
covered competently, the spritely guitar outro maybe lifting it a notch. "Good
Little Monkey" stripped bare is the closer and a tad emo for these tastes.
Shutterspeed show signs of wanting to work outside the box which is a refreshing
things in these days of lite-metal clones and hairy throwbacks. This EP is
a nice taster. - The Barman