SENSUAL LOVE

Within dirty places

7”, Invertebrata

I think I have mentioned for a few times now, that I grew up on noise-rock, and I am talking about old-fashioned, guitar-munching, mud-dirty, over-the-top noise-rock, the way it used to come out of the windy cities of this world. From Chicago, Illinois to Linz, Upper Austria, and maybe some of the strewn places in-between. I am not really sure, were Sensual Love come from, and maybe that is really not so important at all, since they speak the universal language of guitar-driven noise-rock. They span bridge to that edgy sort of hardcore / punk from the early Nineties, to the jangly guitar-pop made by girl-bands in the mid-nineties and to the good old days of Austrian underground, which were to early for me, really. Screamy female vocals on top, does that give you a good impression of their music?

These three songs will give you a good look into the universe of Sensual Love, from the harshest through the more punk-oriented into the more emotional and slower. Especially the third song, which is either “reverse betty ford” or “eyeballs of the state”, features some nice guitarwork, which could have been a killer if the production lived up to, let’s say, Hot Water Music’s fat sound. The main flaw, if it is one, because I never really cared about such stuff, is the production. The drums are hidden way back, the guitar sounds not fat enough (they never do!) and the voices are also mixed a little too much into the background. But who am I to judge? First off, this is the way the band wanted it done? If on purpose or by lack of means is of no matter here. Secondly, I own a lot of records that sound much worse and I still like them. If I lift my head and look to the right, I can see the place, were I have all my hardcore- and punkrock-7”es. Some of them sound as if they were recorded in tiny shoeboxes. So why do I complain here. It’s just the way I am made, I guess.

The third song on this 7”, “Petting”, is the best one. It has the highest “blow you down”-potential. Be sure to hear some more about these dudes in the future.