REVIEW: The Drab Doo Riffs - A Fistful Of Doo-Riffs

The Drab Doo-Riffs
A Fistful of Doo-Riffs
(Liberation Music)
(out of 5)

The latest release from Karl Steven's (Supergroove) super-group The Drab Doo-Riffs, A Fistful of Doo-Riffs is a remarkable little, reference-loaded, rollicking party time. Even better, as the band cycles through references to Ennio Morricone, Hank Williams (or perhaps our very own Tex Morton), classic surf rock and beyond, the EP never comes close to outliving it's welcome.

Essentially rock instrumentation detailed with ornamental touches taken from Spaghetti Western soundtracks, coastal punk, and flourishes of Hillbilly country orchestration, A Fistful of Doo-Riffs' eight song cycle is like surfing, and catching a series of brilliant waves, with a few barrels and decent tricks in the mix.

The sonics are grunty, crunchy and warm. Caoimhe and Karl's vocals are energetic and interactive. Lucy's guitar is wildcat, the sort of work Link Wray would well and truly approve of. And M.F Joyce and Mikey's rhythm section? Show-us-your-tits party central.

Even better, the proceedings get all conceptual. The EP was designed as a musical relic, rediscovered in the future, and loved by interplanetary travellers. Apparently it rules to ride rockets to! I feel like these songs should soundtrack a Quentin Tarantino movie. Outstanding work indeed.

By Martyn Pepperell