nightshift 'released' 06/00

THE ANIMALHOUSE

ÎReady To Receiveâ
(Boilerhouse) - Released 12th June

It seems like itâs got to be world domination or bust for The Animalhouse, anything less would be considered a failure by the band themselves and ammunition for those who already seem determined to see it all fall flat. Ride after all were the indie band who first took Creation into the charts and noisy guitars into the mainstream, while Sam Williams has the drive, awkwardness and artistic temperament of a man for whom second best isnât an option. Perhaps thatâs why ÎReady To Receiveâ has taken its time in coming. Itâs got to be perfect first time, for in the current climate there are no second chances.

The last single, ÎSmallâ signalled that The Animalhouse meant business - a splendid express train ride through bubblegum prog-pop with little pause for breath.

ÎReady To Receiveâ is an ambitious album in many ways. The intricacy of many of the songs and the obviously high-quality production make it something more than a typical indie rock album. It sounds like the band are more intent on going head-to-head with the heavy brigade. Which might be the key to their success, but conversely might be part of their downfall. Itâs commercial and slick enough for mass acceptance, but it might alienate a core of former Ride or Mystics fans who find it a little to sleek. Of course, none of this would matter if they were American - critics would heap praise on their updating of classic psychedelic pop and their clever production techniques. Apparently British bands arenât allowed to be this smart.

Title track, ÎReady To Receiveâ is a long-term live favourite and here, even stripped of some of its live power, it provides a powerful statement of intent, a pulsing space-rock mantra that reaches a plateau and manages to keep the intensity together to the end. Itâs one of the more upbeat highlights of the album, along with the obvious peaks of ÎSmallâ and debut single ÎAnimalâ. But itâs two of the more downbeat tracks that provide the real clue to The Animalhouseâ versatility and talent. Thereâs ÎEssenceâ, sung by Mark, with its complex weave of ideas and a gentle 60s melody, complete with ãla la laä chorus and shimmering guitar, but underpinned with a hefty dose of looped drums and grinding metal guitar, all kept at arms reach from the dominant melody. And then thereâs ÎSpace Trashâ, a whimsical sci-fi lullaby sung by Sam that reminds you of what The Mystics could have achieved given the right record company backing.

Itâs not all plain sailing though. ÎWastedâ, for example, sounds like a bad Rolling Stones pastiche. Actually, worse than that, it sounds like bad pastiche of Primal Screamâs ÎRocksâ and sits ill at ease with the more ambitious songs. ÎSodium Glowâ too, sung by Hari is little more than a pale imitation of Portishead, complete with Îspookyâ theramin backing, while ÎSunday Driverâ is solid enough but could have been recorded on auto-pilot. ÎSpeakeasyâ, meanwhile, sounds like some anonymous boy band with its soulless backing harmonies. Heaven only knows what itâs doing here, except to prove just how contrary theyâre capable of being. Itâs a shame, because given that the album is an hour long anyway, there seems little need for fillers.

That aside, and forgetting some of the somewhat guileless rhyming on some of the songs, ÎReady To Receiveâ is an album that is capable of taking The Animalhouse beyond the indie ghetto. Itâs an inconsistent but occasionally brilliant album.

If they can avoid the navel-gazing lapses and cast their vision spaceward a little more, the universe could be their oyster.

Sue Foreman