Superintendent
The chaps in Superintendent, a Leeds based alternative rock unit, recently dropped us a line, asking us to check out their latest offering, First Offence. Comprising 11 tracks and an album cover which seems pretty fitting in modern society, I was looking forward to checking out what these guys had on offer, and whether the music matched the imagery they have gone for!
Opening with Are We Having Fun Yet (a question I ask myself daily don’t you know…), things get off to a screaming start, immediately offering up an upbeat and distorted melee of different elements, somehow forming into a sound which doesn’t follow convention, yet works exceptionally well. Reminding me of Incubus in some ways, the bass line seems to be the main basis for the track, adding in a sense of movement and ‘out there-ed-ness’ (yes I did just make that word up, but I couldn’t think of one which applied!). Upbeat, almost funky yet hard hitting and powerful, the opening track of this album sets the tone and suggests that we’re in for a good ride. Continuing into The Monotonator the feeling continues, this time adopting a more hard hitting approach initially from that bass but soon resuming their signature sound. The chorus of this track is the key point, throwing down with a catchy chorus packed with power, the sort of thing which is going to get live crowds chanting, moving and wanting to get involved.
Me+TV=Soul Desctruction follows on, once again shifting the style of the band and showing that they’re open to trying different approaches on their album, just to show that they can. Fast paced and fuelled by aggression, this is a track which once again holds a hell of a lot of power, yet at the same time has enough melody to make it catchy and accessible to anyone that hears it, the sort of thing which is going to get the guys a hell of a reputation as a band to check out. Toning things down a smidge for Describe Yourself To A Computer, the whole mix seems to bottom out leaving just the vocals, bass and drums, crafting a sound which is dark and haunting, yet pulls you in to listen harder so that you don’t miss anything. Once again it’s striking how the band have managed to craft their style, how they’ve adopted certain approaches and resulted with a sound which is unlike any other bands out there, it’s unique and what’s more, it works.
Continuing to push the boundaries of their music through Crack A Smile, Set It Off, Sinister Minister and Round & Round, it’s no surprise when Kill Me It’s Monday comes around and once again shows off their more syncopated, out there approach. Adopting a sound which verges on the realms of post punk, this is a track which once again refuses to follow convention, instead carving a unique path which somehow holds a serious amount of appeal. There’s enough heaviness here to keep the heavy fans happy, but also enough catchiness to make it radio friendly, like a bizarre mix of System Of A Down and Incubus with a little bit of Primus thrown in to the mix as well – try imagining that without listening to the record! X-Ray Smile doesn’t opt to confuse things any further, instead opting for a far simpler approach to things, verging on the realms of Queens Of The Stoneage and forming a sludgy, post grunge verging on metal sound. Hard hitting and another track which is sure to be a live favourite, this track is another high point on the record, and the one which stood out as my own personal favourite from the tracks.
Closing with All Is Not As It Seems we’re left on another bizarre note, this time heading towards the realms of industrial style stuff with the opening drum line, but still managing to ensure that we’re aware it’s still Superintendent we’re listening to. Dark and sludgy yet still upbeat to an extent, I really liked the closing of this album as it leaves everything open, not giving away what’s going to come next but letting us know that this album was just the beginning, things are still only developing for these guys.
Reading through what I’ve written I think I’ve mentioned more bands than ever before in this review when trying to draw comparison, but the sound that Superintendent have gone for is such a mix that it’s impossible not to, there’s just so much going on. This album isn’t simple, nor straight forward, and it takes a fair whack to listen to it – but if you do then you almost feel rewarded throughout, almost as if hearing it is a treat. I’ll be interested to see what comes next for sure, just to see if they’ve managed to keep up this style!
To find out more about Superintendent, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Are We Having Fun Yet (a question I ask myself daily don’t you know…), things get off to a screaming start, immediately offering up an upbeat and distorted melee of different elements, somehow forming into a sound which doesn’t follow convention, yet works exceptionally well. Reminding me of Incubus in some ways, the bass line seems to be the main basis for the track, adding in a sense of movement and ‘out there-ed-ness’ (yes I did just make that word up, but I couldn’t think of one which applied!). Upbeat, almost funky yet hard hitting and powerful, the opening track of this album sets the tone and suggests that we’re in for a good ride. Continuing into The Monotonator the feeling continues, this time adopting a more hard hitting approach initially from that bass but soon resuming their signature sound. The chorus of this track is the key point, throwing down with a catchy chorus packed with power, the sort of thing which is going to get live crowds chanting, moving and wanting to get involved.
Me+TV=Soul Desctruction follows on, once again shifting the style of the band and showing that they’re open to trying different approaches on their album, just to show that they can. Fast paced and fuelled by aggression, this is a track which once again holds a hell of a lot of power, yet at the same time has enough melody to make it catchy and accessible to anyone that hears it, the sort of thing which is going to get the guys a hell of a reputation as a band to check out. Toning things down a smidge for Describe Yourself To A Computer, the whole mix seems to bottom out leaving just the vocals, bass and drums, crafting a sound which is dark and haunting, yet pulls you in to listen harder so that you don’t miss anything. Once again it’s striking how the band have managed to craft their style, how they’ve adopted certain approaches and resulted with a sound which is unlike any other bands out there, it’s unique and what’s more, it works.
Continuing to push the boundaries of their music through Crack A Smile, Set It Off, Sinister Minister and Round & Round, it’s no surprise when Kill Me It’s Monday comes around and once again shows off their more syncopated, out there approach. Adopting a sound which verges on the realms of post punk, this is a track which once again refuses to follow convention, instead carving a unique path which somehow holds a serious amount of appeal. There’s enough heaviness here to keep the heavy fans happy, but also enough catchiness to make it radio friendly, like a bizarre mix of System Of A Down and Incubus with a little bit of Primus thrown in to the mix as well – try imagining that without listening to the record! X-Ray Smile doesn’t opt to confuse things any further, instead opting for a far simpler approach to things, verging on the realms of Queens Of The Stoneage and forming a sludgy, post grunge verging on metal sound. Hard hitting and another track which is sure to be a live favourite, this track is another high point on the record, and the one which stood out as my own personal favourite from the tracks.
Closing with All Is Not As It Seems we’re left on another bizarre note, this time heading towards the realms of industrial style stuff with the opening drum line, but still managing to ensure that we’re aware it’s still Superintendent we’re listening to. Dark and sludgy yet still upbeat to an extent, I really liked the closing of this album as it leaves everything open, not giving away what’s going to come next but letting us know that this album was just the beginning, things are still only developing for these guys.
Reading through what I’ve written I think I’ve mentioned more bands than ever before in this review when trying to draw comparison, but the sound that Superintendent have gone for is such a mix that it’s impossible not to, there’s just so much going on. This album isn’t simple, nor straight forward, and it takes a fair whack to listen to it – but if you do then you almost feel rewarded throughout, almost as if hearing it is a treat. I’ll be interested to see what comes next for sure, just to see if they’ve managed to keep up this style!
To find out more about Superintendent, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
