Artist: Ocean Bottom Nightmare
Title: We Are Serious
Type: E.P.
Label: Self Released
Nightmares are a subjective thing; on one hand you have the kind of night terrors that cause you to wake up in a sweat so cold it makes you shiver; the ones that play on your mind for hours, even days, after and repeat themselves like a wife in maximum-nagging mode. On the other, there are those that aren’t quite so unpleasant; dark, yes, and maybe a little startling, but above all shrouded in a kind of surrealism that lures you deep within the demon-infested pits of your alter-ego, dragging you down to the ocean floor where you become trapped between that state of conscious reality and reverie.
Ocean Bottom Nightmare certainly let off that kind of vibe through these four tracks, which are entrenched within a dark, phantasmagorical blanket through the juxtaposition of raucous noise-laden choruses and moody melodies. Opening track ‘Defiling Apep With The Left Foot’ kicks in with some sharp, rocked up & rollin’ riffage that settles into a strong head-boppin’ beat, while the twinkling keyboard sounds add a fleeting creepiness to the mix. Think Foo Fighters heaviness mixed with an 80’s Matchbox B-Line Disaster eccentricity.
‘The Blade Was Rusted Like Aquatic Machines’ is a little more atmospheric, with a grooved-up bass line that really supports the music, while ‘Itchy, Tasty’ has a fantastic rollicking rhythm that makes you want to bop along. Upon the first listen this really didn’t strike me as anything special; it went straight to the bottom of the pile, though once I got around to that second spin it had me doing a complete volte-face. This is unconventional, quirky rock and roll, and as infectious as the bubonic plague. These 11 minutes give a shining example of things to come from this lot; they may be at the bottom of the ocean for now, but should soon rise to the top.
http://www.myspace.com/oceanbottomnightmare
Luci Herbert
MTUK HOME
