Label: Suppression Records

Melbourne’s very own Eddy Current Suppression Ring recently released their third full length, Rush To Relax.  The result will perhaps be both reassuring and surprising for fans of the group, because while this latest album for the most part sees the group continue to work within the same proto-punk mould that has won them so many fans, it also sees them inject (a few) twists into the formula.  For those with a taste for garage rock, Rush To Relax should be yet another welcome reprieve from modern day over produced radio fodder like Brittany Spears, Fall Out Boy and T-Pain.

Perhaps the feature of Eddy Current Suppression Ring which continues to best define their sound is the production; recorded live in six hours on an old eight-track player, Rush To Relax definitely sounds like a band playing in a garage.  For those who like precision and crystal clear sounds, this is definitely not for you.  The guitar is very trebly, the bass never truly rumbles and the drums sound like they could do with a tuning.  But that is the point; Eddy Current Suppression Ring specialise in belting out slightly sloppy Stooges inspired jams that rely more upon feel and less upon absolute perfection.  They are a reaction to the slew of Pro Tools enhanced posers that currently inhabit the musical landscape, and in this regard they are definitely providing a strong and far more relatable alternative.

The overall make-up of Rush To Relax is summed up quite succinctly within their very own press release; “Two ballads made for a man and his woman, two punkers to prove we are still keeping in mad real, and three self-indulgent jams that go for over six minutes each”.  There is very little else that needs to be said really.  The punk numbers (“Walked Into A Corner” and “Isn’t It Nice”) rely on speed and thrash, the jams (“Tuning Out”, “Second Guessing” and “Rush To Relax”) plod through multiple melodious sections with each member cracking out improvised fills and licks and the ballads (“Gentleman” and “I Can Be A Jerk”) attempt to tune into a more tender 60’s influenced sound.  Overall the faster numbers work better because lead singer Brendan Suppression’s voice is far more suited to squealing like a madman Iggy Pop style than it is at sounding soft and caring.  Musically too it is the ballads which feel slightly awkward, but it is a style which perhaps takes a little time for a band to get used to.  Generally speaking though, Rush To Relax continues to showcase Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s talent for writing competent and enjoyable songs.

Let’s face it, Eddy Current Suppression Ring are custom made for a certain audience.  They are a reaction to the modern sounds of Greenday and The Scissor Sisters in the same way that The Sex Pistols and The Ramones were a reaction to Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.  In their current format therefore, true experimentation or evolution is impossible.  I am not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing, because really this is the quality that has already endeared them to so many.  What it does mean however is that for their music to progress, they are going to have to make some serious changes like fellow Melbournites The Basics underwent on their latest record, Keep Your Friends Close.  Only after they completely ditched their faux-Beatles act have they truly begun creating original music.  At the end of the day though, it is a matter of taste; if you find yourself sitting at home listening to The Rolling Stones and The Jam wishing that bands “still played like that”, Rush To Relax is probably for you.  If not, you will probably find the recording quality and “live” performances exhibited here strange and confusing.

By Matthew Woodward