The Giraffes: Usury

Who saw this coming? Well maybe if we had the stature of Brooklyn's The Giraffes, we might all have seen Usury from a great distance and welcomed it with open arms. Swarming over us like the bastard child of Clutch, Masters Of Reality, Queens Of The Stone Age, and in a moment of universe shifting madness, vintage ZZ Top, The Giraffes are simply rifftacular! However with a story stretching back to the nineties, possibly the main surprise here is that this lot aren't at the forefront of a sound which continues to bullishly go from strength to strength.

For this outing, the ninth (tenth if you include video album Show) from the tall ones, burgeoning label Silver Sleeve have been teamed up with, allowing digital, CD and silver sleeve adorned vinyl to hit the super-duper highway's virtual shelves. In length Usury fits those crackly black plastic days, six tracks delivered with a vicious and unforgiving punch! Don't believe me? Then dive in deep to "Product Placement Song" where rolling, rushing, absolutely crushing guitars hammer down, offering no submission. While the lyrics reveal the tainted, tired view of the modern world so many of us share. Vocally things are equally earth smacking and ear attacking, the often twin tracked voice of Aaron Lazar lazily and tantalisingly torturing with its slick seductive beauty.

Drama is built through the caressing pummel and cajoling pound of "Washing Machine", while "White Jacket" slithers into stoner - flamenco style! However where The Giraffes make the most indelible mark is when they unearth the groove, savour it, spit it out and then pop it back in their cheek for anther chew. That doesn't mean they won't play with its tempo, or back off from it to hit you harder next time round, but when "How It Happened To Me" (even with its popping snare) and "Blood Will Run" shake off their shackles and bring a capital G to the roove, then prepare for involuntary convulsions to kick in. All of which leaves "Facebook Rant" to put its head down and offer up the most irresistible vocal-guitar trade-offs known to man, as the drums and bass have a mind altering party all of their own. Bring it together and you have the mightiest slab of thunder on an album utterly storming with them.

January is always a month of discovering the best album which alluded you from the year before. Usury from The Giraffes heads that list – it's the best album 2015 forgot to tell you about!

Track Listing
1. Blood Will Run
2. Facebook Rant
3. Product Placement Song
4. Washing Machine
5. White Jacket
6. How It Happened To Me

Added: January 9th 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Giraffes online
Hits: 1781
Language: english

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