Maribel
Taste the trash 7"
Oslo Grammofon
Oslo shits out yet another shoegaze band and of course Emil Nikolaisen from Serena Maneesh is in the credits, this time as producer, alongside Bjarne Stensli (Harrys Gym, I Was A King). Hoo-boy, that's quite a lineup of mediocre bands, so why should this be any different? Actually, the a-side ("Taste the trash") isn't all that bad, despite the robotic drumming. I'd even say that the abundant feedback squalls adequately compensate for the overall lack of energy, egged on by by the heavily layered and buried female vocals. Side two ("Spit voyage") aims to repeat the formula by amping things up even higher, but the polyrhythmic arrangement doesn't work at all and subsequently comes across like a huge mess. And again, that damn drummer! I swear, if you told me it was a machine I'd believe you, he's so competently lifeless. Loosen up man! The future of your band depends on it.
- Avi Roig
