Review: No Mightier Creatures - No Mightier Creatures

No Mightier Creatures is a new(ish) project by Peruvian musician Renato Gomez, who as you may know, was guitarist of the spectacularly good Serpentina Satelite (who still remain one of fave ever bands). He is joined by former Serpentina... bandmates Dolmo (guitar) and Felix Dextre (bass), and with Arturo Quispe (drums and also a member of the psych-prog band Cholo Visceral). The emphasis of the album is firmly on the lyrics, dealing with "economic crisis, political intervention, precariousness and borders" and is firmly song based rather the long, freeform psychfests at which Serpentina were so very good. Simply put, it is an album that needs to be 'listened' to....because it is very good!

'Yet we Divide' gets proceedings under way and one's first thought is Violent Femmes...the same laconic vocals and a hint of Americana under the repetitive, angular guitar. There is an air of world weary melancholia about the track that sits nicely against the ringing guitars...a fine start. 'Multiply' takes the same guitar motifs but the vocals are less Violent Femmes, straying into Lou Reed circa VU territory. Musically it is loaded with bluesy guitar that is drenched in fuzz and reverb and it all sounds ace through headphones. Straight away 'Springfield' comes across as more up tempo with its driving rhythm and surging guitar and the 'spoken' vocals are particularly effective, sounding as they do like a mix between VU's 'Heroin' and The Cribs 'Be Safe'. Lyrically it is dark, a diatribe on modern life...clever and thought provoking and there are fleeting moments of sheer electric intensity when the guitar seems to almost explode in a maelstrom of static...powerful stuff, in every sense. 'No Light' comes across as another post-punk track, all angular Gang Of Four guitar stabs and thudding drums....it made me feel eighteen again! 'Corporate Dream' is a swirling neo-psych wonder..the psych imbued guitar jibing well against the primal drums while singer Renato's vocals sound far more melodic than previous tracks but this disguises another politically charged lyric. 'To Cross' opens with a barrage of fuzzy psych guitar before some more tribalistic drums hit hard. This miasma of fuzz, reverb and pummelling drums underscore some truly impassioned vocals that drip with venom and a feeling of social injustice...musically this not be punk but in passion, sneering attitude and socially aware lyrics this is pure punk. As the track progresses there are passages of simply brilliant psych guitar....this track is the mutt's nuts and has been on repeat for a while in the house. 'Take It Easy' is a low key track with melancholic guitar, haunting vocals and simple but effective rhythm. Its power lay in its atmosphere and its 'less is more' approach...and it works! Such is the craft of these guys that it is almost impossible not to give the track 100% of your attention, it draws you in and holds you until the very last note is played out. A classy end to an immensely satisfying album.

I admit to being a tad wary on listening to this for the first time...Renato had spoken to me about the fact that it was a whole different beast to the Serpentina Satelite material...less psych, more punk and greater emphasis on song writing. However, being one with an open mind I dived in and am damned glad I did. This may not have the sheer lysergic psych of Serpentina..but what it gains is immense; the songs are lyrically astute and politically charged and the music is a heady mix of psych, punk, post-punk and blues. There is enough fuzz to keep the heads happy but the album is far more than the sum of its parts. It is a cracking album full of attitude, verve and social awareness and one that I'm sure will be a regular visitor to my turntable. The vinyl can be purchased via the band's Bandcamp page here and the download is on a 'Name Your Price' basis.