China Drum
“Water” 7”
(Too Pure)
Oh my, did I
love China Drum from the mid-90s or so until they disappeared from view a few
years later! All of their incredible
singles and EPs leading up to their 1996 debut Goosefair were so stuffed with energy, excitement, and unstoppable
hooks! Don’t even get me started on
their frantic and absolutely electric second album Self Made Maniac, where the songs all flowed into one another –
turning it into an album that could not be turned off. Doing so was a massive crime (there was a
third album under the moniker The Drum,
which I missed entirely). The 90s was
when the UK punk scene exploded with amazing bands like China Drum, Midway Still,
Leatherface, Mega City Four, and Compulsion
and unlike here in the US, they were all unique in their own ways – avoiding
the sameness of the punk-pop Warped Tour
sound that wore out its welcome the second the Warped Tour was conceived. These UK bands were heavier, more
substantive and gifted with better songs.
But this isn’t about who was better, this is about the fact that Midway
Still rejoined the fold a few years back with new material, and now, 25 years
after they began kicking ass, China Drum have graced us once again with some
new music – this simple limited edition two song 7” single.
The original
trio is back, but now bolstered with a second guitarist and a new drummer to
allow singer Adam Lee to be out in
front (I don’t know how Lee sang and played those frantic songs live, even
though I witnessed it once at the Satyricon
here in Portland). “Water” kicks in with some muscular mid tempo
drums and serious power chords letting us know that they are back to rock. Each verse grinds along open and spacious,
before the huge chorus kicks in with buzzing guitars and even some female
background vocals from Kate Stephenson,
the new drummer. This is the “sound of
water rushing past your ears” – refreshing as it washes over you.
On the flip,
“Kitty’s Burn” returns the band to their speedier selves and another one of those
killer sing-along choruses. For a three
minute song, it manages to be both hyper catchy, off-kilter with stuttering
drum fills between lines during each verse, and dynamic with a tempo changing
bridge.
This is a
solid reintroduction to a much missed band.
Now let’s see what happens next.
I sure hope this means they will continue to offer us new material. Now, I’ve gotta go crank up the old
collection and jump around the room.
Excuse me.
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