Wolf & Cub – 'Vessels' (4AD) Released 02/04/07

Marrying post-punk with psychedelia and building it all on a thunderous rhythm section is still one of those ideas that sounds fantastic, if only you’ve got the style and talent to pull it off. The good news is that Wolf & Cub are easily up to the task they’ve set themselves; the bad news is that their debut album, Vessels, is really only a small part of the proof.

Wolf & Cub's approach is one that relies on intensity and precision for its potency rather than flashy songwriting or sophisticated arrangements, and at their best they can be truly hypnotic. But for the moment, “at their best” really means on stage, where they’re only a little short of spectacular. Their live sound gives full rein to Joel Carey and Adam Edwards, the two drummers in the band, and Tom Mayhew’s bass combines with their work to create exactly the sort of foundation you need if you want to send your audience into a trance. Good though they are, Joel Byrne’s guitar and vocals – in a live setting – are as much about decoration as substance.

That line of attack is never going to work on an album or single, of course, and for Vessels the balance is tilted much more in Byrne’s favour: most of the time you’d be hard pressed to tell that there are two drummers. That’s reasonable enough. Strong guitar lines and interesting vocals are still far more likely to draw an audience than even the simultaneous resurrection of John Bonham and Keith Moon. Okay, okay, that would draw a crowd. Especially at Easter.

'Vessels' gets off to a strong start with the title track and 'This Mess', but it’s the third track – 'Rozalia Bizzare' – that really shows what the band are capable of. Repetitive, deceptively simple, and building in intensity from start to finish, it’s the moment when everything gels perfectly. That it’s an instrumental is telling, as is the fact that it leaves you wanting more rather than less: Wolf & Cub rock, and hard. Elsewhere they prove that they’re also capable of subtlety, even if the interest in those moments doesn’t quite balance the excitement lost.

Overall, 'Vessels' is a very good debut rather than a great one, but it’s also an album that suggests Wolf & Cub have plenty of room for development. Our guess is that they’ll be up to the challenge. One thing’s for sure: if they manage to bring a more powerful compromise of their live sound into the studio anytime soon, we’ve got some stunning follow ups to look forward to.