Monday, December 3, 2012

Wilf - 2004 - The Horror

Ska
[FOR FREE]
<a href="http://wilfmusic.bandcamp.com/"
Impressions
This all kinda started more as a little gift for my roommate than it was for myself. She loves ska, anything even tangentially related, she adores it. My appreciation for Wilf's The Horror grew from this, starting out as a “yeah she'd like this” growing into “This record is really catchy, where has ska been all my life?” A bit shallow perhaps, but the point here is to bring you guys good music, and Wilf have got themselves some fine musical flavour for you all to enjoy.
With a knowing wink, The Horror is ska up to it's eyeballs in schlocky, pulpy B horror (the cover artwork is a dead give away), from the song titles to the Corman-esque stories they're telling, Wilf are having a righteous old time here, and that enthusiasm is palpable. The bass boogies along at a shoulder rocking, head wagging tempo, the driving force behind everything. The tenor sax adds some space to the harmonies, wailing above the cacophony, so everything sounds just a bit bigger than it really is. (the sax and bass make an excellent duo – 'Cadaver Girl' deserves a gold star). The guitars are here to add texture and occasionally a bit of punk attitude, as on opener 'Here Comes The Dead'. They aren't the focus, understandably, but they provide when called upon ('Casket Party' for instance). The vocals, oh the vocals match perfectly. Deep enough to give the lyrics weight, with just enough lounge lizard intonation to keep the goings on light, sleazy, and playful. Given the lyrical content Wilf is bringing to the table, that goes a long way to making things enjoyable without being too kitschy. To me, the The Horror is the kind of music Only-era Misfits have been attempting for a while but fail to do so. Definitely one for Emily, and one for your discerning ears as well.

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