THE
QUICK AND THE DEAF - The Specimens (In
Fidelity)
In
the wake of the end of several of Melbourne's best underground rock-n-roll
combos from the '90s, (Powdermonkeys, The Freeloaders, The Yes-Men, Red Shift,
Hellenic Zeal / The Zeal, The Martians and 
The
Sex Bombs), it would have been easy for those who aspired to follow to fail.
Melbourne, however, arguably continues to be the town for real rock-n-roll;
with a range of bands such as The Spazzys, The Blacklist, The Casanovas, Naked
Eye, The Sailors, Rocket Science, Cockfight Shootout and others continuing
on from what bands from that town have always done, playing some of the best
rock-n-roll to be heard throughout Australia.
Another band that now in Melbourne more than hold their own are The Specimens.
A bunch of St (Sin) Kilda lads, whom first impressed us with their debut CDEP
and now with "The Quick and The Deaf" prove that they are a definite
force and certainly here to stay.
A squawl of guitar feedback begins the CDLP as the band prepare to launch
into the opener 'Head Straight' which quickly gets itself under your skin,
with its high energy, hard rockin' playing and catchy riffs.
"Drama Queen" maintains the energy and "Get on Top" displays
the band in sonic overdrive and not looking back.
"What Ya Wanna Do" is a kind of a musical diversion, with the band
almost delving into '60s garage sounds, complete with harmonica, played by
guitarist Tim Wold.
"One Man Rampage" really lifts the tempo as the band more than match
the likes of The Hellacopters and Asteroid B612 for high energy Detroit rock
and is yet another highlight.
"Kiss on the Lips", despite its Van Halen styled guitar intro, has
more than enough killer guitar work from guitarists Tim Wold and Terry Opie
to really impress. "Makin' Time" is yet another fine example of
how great this band are at their best, with the rhythm section of Adam Clarke
and Brent Lockwood, unshakeable and really driving this tune along, as they
do throughout the CDLP, as though they were on a missikon and could not be
stopped.
"Levitate" maintains the high level of songwriting and playing but
the closer and title track is arguably the highlight, as the band continues
to display a grasp of dynamics,coupled with some killer high energy and hard
rocking playing.
The Specimens' "The Quick and The Deaf" is another fine rock-n-roll
album from another Melbourne band that knows what rock'n' roll is all about
playing hard, loud and fast. -
Simon Li
If the debut
album "Fast and Loose", was testimony to what two chords, a big
swinging bottom end and a howling Marshall stack could do to dislodge a cubic
kilogram of wax from the most stubborn of ears, this follow-up is no less
an aural enema. Perhaps a tad less sonically raw but no less powerful, the
songs might just be better. It's a near-run thing.
As well as far flung outposts like Perth and Brisbane are traveling well in
their own eclectic or derivative ways, Melbourne's really become the epicentre
of a fragmented Australian music scene. Go out any night of the week and you
can catch something worthwhile (as opposed to something best treated with
penicillin). The Specimens certainly sit in the former category - a beer-fuelled,
eight-legged monster armed with in-the-red guitars and understated but undeniable
melodies.
The Specimens put me in mind of an early Tumbleweed. Contemporary comprades
might be Sweden's Sewergrooves, who similarly marry hi-energy rock 'n' roll
to melodic hooks, albeit with a lighter guitar attack. Look to the smoking
Specimens track "Levitate" for evidence. The distance between Scandinavia
and Melbourne isn't that great these days, and I bet the Swedes would take
to The Specimens like bricklayers to beer.
There's nothing subtle about The Specimens' songs about sex ("Get on
Top"), drugs ("Janie" - surely a cousin of Mary-Jane) and rock
and roll (the rest of them) but, then again, why should there be? It's rock
and fucking roll, not Beethoven's Fifth. It's a brief album too (36 minutes)
but that's more than enough to do the job. A good game is, more often than
not, a quick game (Test cricket notwithstanding).
There's a lineage of Aussie pub rock going back to the days of Thorpey, The
Coloured Balls and the latter-day Masters Apprentices and beyond that's timeless,
and from some very ordinary bands are striving to derive inspiration. The
Specimens manage to draw from that often-visited well, but come up with a
big leaky bucket of something of their own, soaking themselves and everybody
around them. Unlike some, however, The Specimens avoid the cliches of endless-guitar-solos-in-search-of-a-song
and never descend to mindless boogie.
There are enough dynamic variations and occasional extra touches (harp, keyboards)
to stop the whole shebang going over the edge and it's assisted by Lindsay
Garvina's punchy production that's cleaned up the sound just enough to be
palatable for airplay on adventurous radio stations, or even Triple Jay.
Too much music today is homogenous: full of sugar, mass-produced and simply
no good. It's not too silly an analogy to observe that there's also a less-than-subtle
re-positioning campaign underway to make one global fast food chain look deceptively
healthy. Fact is, homogenised music and food are both crap - the only difference
is that one's a hangover cure (but it's not a patch on a hair of the dog.)
If you're serious about your rock and roll, you too should pass on the Big
Macs and get a chunk of "The Quick and the Deaf" - it's a real beef
burger made in one of those old fashioned corner stores. Extra sauce, anyone?
- The Barman
1/4
FAST
& LOOSE - The Specimens
(Shock)
Melbourne's Specimens must rock the USA to its bootstraps when they tour there
in late 2003, if only to impress upon the Yanks the cultural significance
of a lyric like "You're as cunning as a shithouse rat". That's a
refrain from "Shithouse Rat", just one of the rough gems you'll
strike on the short (32 minutes) but sweet debut album by these St Kilda newcomers.
Bottom-of-the-bill for much of their brief career in their hometown, on the
strength of this, the Specimens could be headlining with the likes of the
Datsuns, Jet, the Casanovas and the D4 before too much longer. The essential
elements are there: Lots of guitar, a powerhouse engine room (Brent's feel-laden
drumming rules) and catchy, if sometimes not fully realised tunes.
Don't know why so many people bag the latest wave of so-called garage discoveries.
Just because it's signed to a major label doesn't make it automatically bad.
Me, I'm happy someone's taking notice of bands like the Hives and the Datsuns,
who at least play the right sort of music (ie. raw rock 'n' roll). It's highly
derivative - what isn't? - and some of it's been emasculated in big dollar
studios to make it more palatable for boxheaded radio programmers, but the
parts you chose to like are a matter of personal taste. Different Strokes
for different folks, if that's not too obvious a pun. Hype is a turn-off so
don't read it, and don't take it to heart too much when some loser from the
English musical press takes a band to their bosom one week only to trash them
mercilessly the next. Besides, you can always turn the radio off and listen
to a disc like "Fast & Loose".
Anyway, the Specimens are too young to have been there in person, but their
roots are firmly planted in the mid-'80s scene. That'll piss off the music
writer at The Age or the Sydney Morning Herald but it don't faze me none and
shouldn't worry you either. No surprise then that "Down on Me" has
latter day Lime Spiders written all over it, down to Terry's Draino vocals
(lacking only old Mick Blood's patented "let go of my balls" scream).
Songs like "Lately", a re-recorded "Burn City Burn" and
the runaway train title track are full of energy and punchy dynamism.
As they sing on "Burn City Burn": "We like to party long and
hard". The Specimens remind me of San Diego's Dragons, with just a touch
less swagger and guitar histrionics. Can't give more of a compliment than
that. - The Barman
3/4
THE
SPECIMENS - The Specimens (Six Pack)
This new four-piece twin guitar band from the inner city suburbs of Melbourne,
claim to be "unashamedly Bogan rock" and as such claim influences from the
likes of Radio Birdman, AC-DC, Bored!, Lime Spiders, The Spoilers, etc. Their
debut five track CDEP opens with"'No Good" and immediately displays
decidedly crafted guitar-based punk/hard rock songs, with strong dynamics
and a definite Radio Birdman flavour.
"Hole in the Head" is a definite nod to Brisbane's legendary The
(Fucken) Leftovers classic "Cigarettes and Alcohol" in the lyric
department, which is combined with some scorching lead guitar work that would
make The Onyas proud and provides a highlight of the CDEP. Throughout, the
guitarwork of Terry Opie and Tim Wold seems to mesh quite seamlessly and the
duo of Adam Clarke (bass) and Johnny 8 Ball (drums) provide solid backing,
but also take the opportunities where possible to stretch out and highlight
the kind of tight but also loose rhythm section they can be.
The other highlight of the CDEP would have to be "Burn City Burn"
with the band showing yet again a definite grasp of dynamics. A strong debut
from these young St. (Sin) Kilda garage rock kids. - Simon
Li