And sometimes out of the ether – or whatever inhalable solvent the Internet is actually made of – comes a little gem. Not fully polished and certainly more a diamond in the rough is "Napalm Death" by Wisconsin (USA) band Tenement.
If you imagine Black Flag going retro after overdosing on Weezer then you would have a pretty good description of this band's sound. Less charitable reviewers than I would suggest that this Tenement are just another guitar powered American indie band but that would be to miss the point. The point? If a band actually wants to play music influenced by others then that is an entirely different thing from the 10001 bands that merely jump on the indie bandwagon. So, in spite of the rough edges, the raucous charm of Tenement shines through and you can't help but admire the demented energy of "Skyscraper" or "Simple Things Can Seem So Involved" and it is consequently easy to forgive them for the musical equivalent of shoplifting that is to be found in "Dreaming Out Loud".
Nonetheless, "Napalm Death" is the kind of album that makes you want to drive really, really fast and, derivative or not, it is refreshing to hear a band that plays like it is their purpose in life.
Available on vinyl from Mandible Records or CD from Hangup Records.