Minüs - When the axe head floats

Whereas Dearth was what might be labelled a straight-forward indie-rock record (though definately more rock than indie), full of distorted guitars and angular riffae, When the axe head floats veres more towards punk, but still retains the elements that made the first Minüs EP so good.

The catchy riffs and hooks are still there - opening track "Where we fell" and "White noise for white boys" demonstrate this perfectly - I've had the guitar lines from these two in my head all day.

The contrast in vocal styles adds a lot to the record too - in "White noise..." for example, singer/guitarist Ed Jones starts with a creepy verse melody over the crunching guitar riff before going into an excellent shouty chorus.

As well as the excellent riffage, what Minüs do excellently on this record is they really demonstrate their song writing ability. All 4 tracks are packed with contrast within each song - powerful riffage and chilled out ambient guitar noises in equal measure.

The record finishes with the minoose boys showing us how versatile they are. The final track 'The Night Before The Wedding', steers us violently away from their indie/rock/punk melange into the twisted world of stoner rock. Their penchant for meaty guitar hooks serves them well here and the bass and lead scuzz along through this song in a way that would make QOTSA jealous.

Minüs don't gig very often, so when they do, make sure you're there - you don't get very many unsigned bands this good. This EP will be on sale at gigs too - if that's not an incentive to go see them then I don't know what is.



--Pogo McGurk

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