Review: Birthday Noose - Noosifer

I've said it before and I'll say it again...there's definitely something a-stirring on the garage punk scene. Where it was once jaded and and tired, it now seems to have been injected with a dose of enthusiasm and creativity. Take bands like Wooden Indian Burial Ground or the excellent The 99 Degree, they are taking garage as a base but weaving their own individual magic around it. We can add Birthday Noose to this list. Birthday Noose is a three piece garage/psyche band from Akron Ohio comprised of Kevin Braun, Eric Blankenhorn and Chrissy Spangler. The band describe their sound as ‘fuzzed out, reverb soaked drone punk’...I'm sold!

Opener 'Hypnotize' harks back to the sixties garage scene (with perhaps extra fuzz!). It could quite easily slot into one of the 'Back From The Grave' comps and it's easily good enough. 'Mop Hog' is a packed with punk attitude, the guitars have that frenetic Ramones feel and 'On The Road' is a fuzzed out monster; pure punk psychedelia with heaps of reverb and echoey vocals almost lost in the mix. There is a short but sweet psych guitar solo that brings to mind some of Fuzz Club's releases. 'Sunrise' sees the punk takes a backseat in favour of out and out psych, taking its cue from the same psych sound produced by Sonic Jesus, Singapore Sling etc, that chiming guitar sound that cuts through the metronomic rhythm. 'Walk Without You' is a surf-y/Cramps number, the guitar twanging and packed with attitude and yet again the fuzz quotient is high. 'Creepin'' has a real Jesus and Mary Chain influence and positively drives along with plenty of reverb drenched guitar and rock solid drums, whilst 'Devil' has a fifties rockabilly vibe to it a la 'Songs The Cramps Taught Us'. Album closer 'Feelin' On' is a 100mph garage romp, dripping in attitude, fuzz and some ace psych guitar breaks - an apt way to end a fine,fine album.

'Noosifer' is a pretty damned cool album - chock to the brim with fuzz but with enough variety and nous to please even the most jaded of garage/psych fans. Fans of Thee Oh Sees will find a great deal to love in this album...it shares the same twisted take on garage and with the same level of imagination, humour and plain and simple balls out rawk'n'roll! 'Noosifer' can be downloaded for free (but slip the band a few pennies eh?) or there is a CD, both available from the band's Bandcamp page here.