8 4 8 – Young Mammals8 4 8 – Young Mammals
Carrots, the debut self released LP by Young Mammals is a noisy, raw cluster fuck of an album. Listening gives me a new found familiarity with what the clash of distorted vocals, twangy guitars, and cymbal crashes sound like. To Young Mammals credit, through it all they come up with some clever songwriting.
The Mammals explode in all directions with their introductory track, Confetti. At its center sits an Animal Collective abrasiveness coupled with some of the unpredictability of Suckers. Though it is a powerful opener, I don’t think this song is Young Mammals strong point. The hooks aren’t quite there on this track, and the arrangement seems uncomfortable for the Mammals. This young band’s bread and butter lie later on.
Drum heavy driving songs litter this release. Songs like Stay to the Left and Wires & Buttons seem to be begging concert goers to get to the front row and head bang with each combination of snare and cymbal crash. Young Mammals drummer, Ryan Chavez, is a standout throughout this album. Fifty seconds into the second track 8 4 8, Chavez comes in with an off-putting drum fill that begs the listener to focus attention on him. A large portion of the energy of this band comes directly from Chavez’s sticks. I think I could break a sweat just watching this guy play these songs.
Deeper still Young Mammals reveal some nuance in their songwriting. The Man in the Cannon and Analogue are some down tempo tunes that give the listener a breather from the action. At least at first – even when the Mammals start slow – many tracks inevitably crescendo with the cluster fuck I described earlier.
Carrots is a strong effort from a young band. They have the ability to play in different styles, and they aren’t afraid to take some chances in arrangement. The album lacks a track or two I could call ‘perfect.’ But again, the potential for this band is there. Take a listen to Carrots, if you like it, go to their Bruar Falls show June 29th. I’ll be the guy in the front row bobbing my head to the drums. I give it a 7.6.
