Gateshead's THE CLIFFHANGER have already made one superb EP ("Hit The Horizontal", as championed by W&H last Autumn), but as yet they remain a shadowy regional presence on the scene.
New self-released double-A "Before You Send Me To Hell"/ "The Yin And Yang Gang",(available from www.thecliffhanger.co.uk) though, makes a very persuasive case for this state of affairs to be a purely transitional one, as - given even minimal record company push - this band have something very special going on to share with us.
The previous EP showcased a fascinating, not-to-be-rushed sound, but these new songs - recorded since the band finished building their own studio in Newcastle - show a quantum leap in terms of songcraft, production and content.
At over seven minutes, "Before You Send Me To Hell" may not sound appetising as a single, but really it's difficult to imagine this being edited as it makes perfect sense as it is. Riding in on primed and pregnant drums, the tension builds steadily via the loping, semi-dub bassline, before guitars begin to stalk around and singer Ben Trenerry's soon musing on the destructiveness of love. "We're damned if we do, and I'm damned if I don't", he sings, rolling with the punches, before staring the abyss down and admitting "I just wanna make it out of here alive."
|
It's more direct and focussed than anything on the previous EP and bleeds with tension before reaching a climax that's seething, but nowhere near overblown. If anything, though, it's usurped by "The Yin & The Yang Gang", which positively drips with intrigue and Orwellian overtones. Relentlessly eerie, it's almost too short at only 4 and a half minutes and even comes close to the mighty Oceansize as the music takes off to breathtaking effect.
It's still early days for The Cliffhanger, but they are developing rapidly away from the glare and are quietly becoming quite a force to be reckoned with. They deserve and will surely discover a wider audience.
(www.thecliffhanger.co.uk)
|
