A Place To Bury Strangers - 'A Place To Bury Strangers' (Rocket Girl) Released 03/11/08

Some debuts are good, some better and some audaciously outstanding; without question A Place To Bury Strangers slips confidently into the latter category with self-assured ease. An eponymous first that literally speaks volumes, there’s no need for cursory introductions, sufficed to say the self-titled offering from New York City’s “loudest band” is as much a statement of intent as it is a declaration of war. Fronting the three-piece is Oliver Ackermann, owner of guitar effects company Death By Audio and flanked by Jono Mofo on bass and Jay Space on drums, their knowledgeable manipulation of fifteen killer tracks provides good enough reason for them to become your favourite new band.

Introducing their manifesto with an ear-bleeding wall of guitar squall, ‘Missing You’ employs direct menace to hold together bullying bass-lines, mechanised drum patterns and desensitisingly detached vocals that plunder the runaway tempo of ‘Don’t Think Lover’ and unapologetically pillage ‘To Fix The Gash In Your Head’. Roget’s Thesaurus doesn’t contain any synonyms for expletive exclamations and not nearly enough to describe the solitary post-apocalyptic euphoria that pervades ‘The Falling Sun’. Even if it did, you’d still be left, slack-jawed, scratching around for more adequately descriptive comparisons than The Jesus And Mary Chain, Cure, Joy Division and New Order no matter how applicable they might be.

Despite the up front aggression embracing ecstasy that seemingly distorts and reverberates throughout their every move, there’s more to this record than violent industrial noise. The perfectly restrained explosive genius of ‘Another Step Away’ compliments the melodic intent of ‘Breathe’ and the intuitive electro feeling ‘I Know I’ll See You’. Sonically possessed, drenched and successful where others either lose momentum, attention, interest or ideas, APTBS are compulsive in their persistence with ‘She Dies’, ‘My Weakness’, ‘Ocean’ and ‘Get On’ ironically threatening death by audio. Despite the huge track-listing, there are no throwaway fillers and two thirds in ‘Never Going Down’, ‘Run Around’ and ‘Half Awake’ invade the consciousness with the same effect as the album openers before ‘Sunbeam’ (the musical equivalent of a decompression chamber) shuns the noise, sidesteps the comedown and provides the perfect antidote to a stunning take no prisoners blueprint for the debut of the year.