The Horrors - 'Strange House' (Loog) Released 05/03/07

Everything here has already been tried and tested, from The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster down to Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath...

by Rob Watson
Monday, March 05, 2007

The Horrors - 'Strange House' (Loog) Released 05/03/07

More The Horrors

Watch The Horrors #8211; She Is The New Thing

Right, we're going to have to be careful here. The last time Gigwise gave a negative review to Southend's finest goth clothes-horses The Horrors (" Over indulgent fashionably out of tune music… pretentious fucking haircuts and a musically elitist aesthetic") they threatened to scalp – or at least furiously backcomb – one of our journalists. Suffice to say, reaction to the band so far has been mixed, from glorious hyperbole-infused reviews from the NME of their early live shows to, well, numerous reviews following the same pattern of Gigwise's aforementioned piece.

The main criticism so far has been that the ridiculously young five-piece are all style and no substance – magnificently coffered haircuts, androgynous eyeliner, stage names like Joshua Von Grimm and… not much else. Now, with 'Strange House', The Horrors have an ideal opportunity to prove their detractors wrong. And the results are disappointing.

Not so ludicrously dreadful that you'd actively seek the album out to experience the appalling sound of a gratuitously hyped band falling apart at the seams, nor so surprisingly well written that the whole nature of The Horrors phenomenon should be reassessed, 'Strange House' is simply a mediocre record that will be forgotten by the time the next well-dressed band hare onto the scene. It's difficult to see what The Horrors are trying to achieve here – shock tactics possibly? Apart from convincing visceral director Chris Cunningham to make the video for debut single 'Sheena Is A Parasite', there is little in The Horror's repertoire that raises a shudder, despite their best efforts with moans and groans lifted from Hammer horror films.

Cont. Next Page »

« Prev

Peter, Bjorn And John - 'Falling Out' (Wichita) Released 05/03/07... Next »

(6)

A pretty spot on review mate, I couldn’t have put it better myself
~ by bazzle 3/5/2007
I beg to differ...I really think this is one of the strongest debuts of recent times, and on it’s own merits, without the hype/style question thrown into the mix, I find it sonically thrilling. We need bands like The Horrors. Well, I do at least. P.S. I read Chris Cunningham approached them to make the video when they were still unsigned, not the other way around
~ by jukebox lil 3/9/2007
strange house is an excellent debut. I prefer the oldr versions of ”Jack the Ripper” & ”Excellent Choice” but other then that i’d say there’s not a weak song on the album. It captures the essense of them playing live pretty well.And compared to the run of the mill ”THE” bands that are everywhere and all sound the same, at least this is an original record with a differnt sound. Compared to dung like My chemical romance that ARE totally style o
~ by Tommy Trinder 3/23/2007
i disagree with the review - the tunes on this album are quality, especially the poetry at the end of ’gloves’. ’she is the new thing’ is also pretty good. like the other guy said they’re so much better than my chem
~ by Chris 5/22/2007
As an album, I agree with Trinder, that it is exceptionally original. It focuses on parts of soceity in which no one else has dared to do. This is music which startles the ear, and that is its objective:wake us up from this complacent music scene and feed us something new.The Horrors are hated for having an ”image”. But who doesn’t have an ”image” that they try to impose on others? It’s sick how music is based solely on the looks nowada
~ by Sir Parker 5/23/2007