Shame: Songs of Praise (Dead Oceans) Review

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Shame

Songs of Praise

Dead Oceans

Feb 19, 2018 Web Exclusive By Michael James Hall

Appearing initially to ride the jagged crest of the filthy wave created by Fat White Family, South London’s Shame have taken a clutch of influences as sonically and geographically disparate but similar in attitude as The Fall and The Jesus Lizard and created, here on their debut, a personal ocean in which to violently splash.

From the screams of opener “Dust On Trial,” on which vocalist and live powerhouse Charlie Steen asks “Will you walk this land with me?” through to the bald statement of closer “Angie,” which offers “I’m not a man/But that’s okay,” this is a vicious, surprisingly melodic, and addictive battering ram of a record that sees the band shift from the atonal sweetness of “One Rizla” to the doom-laden spoken word of “The Lick” with no small amount of style.

Songs of Praise is a modern, sneering punk explosion that adds up to more than a sum of its parts. (www.shamebanduk.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 8/10

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Average reader rating: 8/10