Times New Viking- Born Again Revisited
6/10

Born Again Revisited sees the TNV trio place more kooky pop in their gritty, sludgy mould they use for carving out their own niche of noisy bedroom pop. They could be crowned the arch kings of this new noise revolt, while Wavves is middling and Eat Skull is buried under white noise. TNV captures the bubbling excitement of pop confusion well. This is their second album for Matador and fourth in total. With a shaky start, they regain their step with the weird title track, and retain classic old pop ideals succinctly with ‘Half Day In Hell’, the cute oddball pop buried in the middle of all the fuzz. Recorded to VHS tape (a step up from the cassette master of last year’s Rip It Off), it almost feels like every second song is good. All could benefit from some strong production and mastering, but this is TNV’s trick (though it gets gritty to the point of gritting your teeth). With this style they’re able to emulate a stoned ‘60s Syd-era Floyd experience in the opening bars of ‘2/11 Don’t Forget’, ‘These Days’ and the blistering ‘Hustler, Psycho, Son’. They certainly regain momentum in ‘(No) Sympathy’, with the skewered guitar work and synchronised drawls. Oldie ‘Move To California’ is an instant classic, catchy and memorable, while ‘Take The Piss’ is the last gasp. TNV is all about the specifities, specifically the sonic joy, uninterrupted noise, and Yo La Tengo/Sonic Youth-inspired melodies. Born Again Revisited has moments that shine through, but otherwise it all sounds and feels like dusty rubble.
Sarah

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Album, Reviews