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Reviewed for FasterLouder

Sunshine Coast boys The Scare have been promising this album for a while now and though a bunch of EPs, 7”s and their debut Chivalry all built on their reputation for unhinged and wired rock music, it feels like Oozevoodoo is their true calling card.

Produced by Silverchair’s Daniel Johns this is the sound of a band hitting their stride, infused with the energy of their live shows and some careful editing and arranging to keep things taut and trim. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what Johns has brought to the table but one suspects it is the economy of sound and the fresh and gritty pop moments that continually emerge through the darkness.

The first two singles, Could Be Bad and No Money throw you immediately into the world of The Scare with the swagger and pout that has become singer Kiss Reid’s trademark. The choruses of both songs are anthemic singalongs (pub rather than stadium) and both lurch along with a barely controlled momentum.

Reid’s voice is an acquired taste for many. He sings in a chanting gonzo slacker manner like the words are afterthoughts in a drunken or sleep deprived state. His rhyming and the style of his delivery sometimes resembles a tougher Mark E Smith or the ramblings of Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder.  On Charger he affects a goth/Curtis baritone bellow and it somehow works. Very quickly you forget the slurs and often non-singing delivery and the puzzle starts to become clear. The band needs Reid to balance the tight and angular sound the rest of them are creating with their instruments.

Post punk guitars often pick out simple coruscating riffs that buzz and moan but never descend into untamed noise. The playing on As He Walks connects back with the swampy sounds of The Gun Club and some of Australia’s own like The Beasts Of Bourbon and elements of The Birthday Party. Though it looks back it is also invested with more modern sounds like the effects laden guitars of Bloc Party and occasionally Interpol in their louder moments.

She Can’t Say No and I’m Desperate are two massive stomping glam blowouts that lumber along shamelessly. Many bands would secretly love to be able to cut loose and indulge is such big bold sounds. That lack of fear on Oozevoodoo is ultimately what will ensure its success.

The rhythm section of drummer Samuel Pearton and Wade Keighran lay a solid foundation that adds an almost death disco feel to the songs. The drums pound away in a primal manner, never settling into a steady ease flow. They jerk, stop and start while Keighran loads the top end of his bass with a grinding, attacking sound that verges on slap bass and is one of the main reasons why many of the songs like Cry are so sharp and edgy.

Shades of rockabilly appear on I Saw Destruction with its Stray Cats chorus and it highlights the interesting style that The Scare have developed. They have managed to maintain the punk chaos and discordant elements of their sound and still add shadowy disco and pop colours. It works well and ties in perfectly with the title Oozevoodoo and the images of dark ingredients, spells and incantations.

Oozevoodoo stands as a unique Australian release in 2009 as it avoids the emo, pub rock and electro-pop flavours of the month that crowd the airwaves. The album is edgy, clever, succinct and all above all else fun. Catch The Scare live before they head back to the northern hemisphere where media and fans will surely lap up their invigorating sound.