Newcastle's CAGED are a trio operating at the more creative end of the locally-recorded, self-released DIY market, rightly taking the opportunity to unleash an eponymous debut through their website www.caged.org.uk .
And, on the same day your reviewer's been singing the praises of the rather more high-profile Futureheads, it's again heartening to see the North-East has serious strength in depth in reserve, currently jealously hoarding best kept secrets like Won Mississippi and the still ridiculously undersung Cliffhanger as well as this bunch.
For the uninitiated, CAGED are comprised of singer/ guitarist Bob Douglass, Adam Henzell (bass/ vocals) and drummer Richie Maxwell. They recorded this 12-track album at studio in Byker, Newcastle and - while the sound itself is sometimes rather basic, the quality of Bob's songs still cuts through, ensuring "Caged" has plenty to recommend its' existence.
Broadly, CAGED proffer an aggressive, guitar-based power trio sound, not entirely dissimilar to southern counterparts like Cooper Brown in the way they take in loud, fraggly punk-pop with traces of everything from The Buzzcocks to Husker Du and early Wonder Stuff. Tracks like opener "Run To You" (no, don't worry - not the Bryan Adams one), "Crash And Burn" and "Man Found Dead" are exponents of this no-nonsense, amped-up, chorus-led sound and all are good songs that could easily transfer to a bigger studio.
Crucially, though, Caged are not, ahem, trapped within these limitations. Musically, they interact well and have both proficiency and aspiration on their side, to their credit.
Indeed, this eponymous debut captures a band keen to break out and experiment. "Let(s) Go", for instance, kicks in with some very Hendrix-y guitar from Bob and settles into a groove not dissimilar to early '90s funky geezers Heads Up! Elsewhere, "New Day" presents a similarly laid-back, funky template (not unlike current day Chili Peppers) for the band to colour around, though they can't resist the temptation to get anthemic in the end, while "Maybe" demonstrates Caged can slow it down and master three-way harmonies and "Lady Luck" showcases smart, semi-acoustic swagger-pop with impressively nippy counterpoint stuff from bassist Adam.
|
It doesn't all work quite so sweetly, admittedly. "Forever," for example, can't decide whether to be acoustic singer/ songwriter fare or bittersweet Guided By Voices/ REM-style pop and falls unceremoniously between stools, while "Lost Soul" ends up whiny and meandering despite its' epic aspirations and both "Make It" and "Farewell" simply don't survive the poor sound, though the former's energy and Adam's melodic playing do pull it up.
Nonetheless, being hampered by working on a tight budget hasn't prevented the creation of many a minor masterpiece (just ask everyone from Guided By Voices to The Flying Lizards), and "Caged" is a good, well-executed introduction for anyone not previously aware of this fiery Newcastle-based trio. A promising start suggesting better things to come.
|
