“Oh my god, there is so much music in this release. Why on Earth would anybody do this? And why would anybody do this to me?” the poor guy assigned to review it the double album asked. The Necronauts, a band I’ve never heard of, just released a massive 1.7 hours worth of songs for me to go through. Thank you for that, sincerely. Even if I take into account that the second LP is the first LP plus ten songs, it is still too much for one listen. Two listens, in fact…
Alas, I can’t complain forever. Although I do want to immediately hate the band for reasons I’ve mentioned, I can’t deny that there are some cool songs on Gauche Et Droite. There is also a lot of crap. That could be said for a lot of double albums though, so it’s not a deciding factor. Of the songs themselves, the band seems to go through every alternative moment ever thought of. They sound a hell of a lot like Pavement, but if you name a band that likes to shy away from the mainstream, you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find an example somewhere in the stylistic jumble the Necronauts play in. I would say that, if you’re really patient, there is a pretty good album somewhere in this monsterpiece.
The band sounds better when they play fast, short, and aren’t just making noise. “Skateboarding Hurts” is a good example of this and sounds like a less annoying They Might Be Giants. “Gravity is Not Your Friend” is also fast and really enjoyable, but “Depredation Medication” is a slow slog in a bog, and I didn’t like “Sounds Good to Me ’83” until it started reminding me of Mindless Self Indulgence. “Land Survey” is strongly reminiscent of MeWithoutYou, and Pavement comes out every time another band doesn’t. Hopefully you understand by now that the band wears it’s influences openly, and this isn’t really detrimental as it makes the songs more enjoyable. Still, the shout-speak that leader Billy Goodson is so fond of isn’t as entertaining, and irritates quickly if not immediately. It’s all a give and take, and the album would have benefitted from having a cutting room floor, or at least something saying ‘bonus material only for hardcore fans only’ attached to half (or more!) of it. Find the good album within Gauche Et Droite and you’ll be happy, but I doubt you’ll make it to the end…
PS – “Dear Ms Science Fiction” sounds like the Aquabats.
For more information on The Necronauts check out their official website, and Facebook, page. Get Gauche Et Droite now on iTunes.