[9/10] After too long, the band with one of the best names out there are back with a new deliciously weirdly titled record, Tail Swallower And Dove. As difficult to immediately get into as you’d expect from an ex-member of Botch (Brian Cook, as always on bass and various keyboard/organ devices) and his friends, Chris Common (drums), Ryan Frederiksen (guitar) and Steve Snere (vocals, synths) this is TAAS at probably their best yet.

Kicking in with the creaking, rusted riff of “Woolen Heirs” you’re right into shit. The intense vocal delivery and full sound make this a great song to listen to on headphones. It’s raw and visceral, yet it’s blessed with a hook as large as your fist. If you’ve yet to discover this lot and you’re still moaning the loss of The Blood Brothers then get on board here. You won’t regret it. “Prince Squid” continues in this vein, the rattling, skittering beat providing a nice base for the vocals to shout energetically off of, the guitars fitting around this nicely, yet leaving loads of space. A droning bass meandering in the background adds to the flow, until they once again culminate in a shuddering, volcanic crescendo.

”Red Line Season” brings to mind the title track from “Oxeneers Or The Lion Sleeps When It’s Antelope Go Home,” before slicing into a staccato bridge, after which the vocals delivering “hands on the wheel…” urge you to throw your body around. Then there’s the closing number, the almost straightforward “Briggs,” with, again, simple sounding musicianship but with everything in its proper place and working because of it. “Cavity Carousel” finds itself itching between your shoulders, like Mike Patton on a leash, the odd groove and fuzzed bass pushing the vocals forward into a headlong rush.

Tail Swallower And Dove is a record designed to make you move. Sitting at home bouncing around on a chair just doesn’t cut it, although be warned - you do get some funny looks from the general public when going down the road, this in your ears, throwing slight shapes and dance/walking along to the infectious rhythms and big instrumental breaks. Take “Ethric Double” for example. A simple, steady beat around which there is so much space for slight guitars, sparse bass and echoing vocals to play. They then once again pull things back into their own cave of noise, mauling the sounds, touching them in weird ways and returning, arms open to the sun, offering something new and even better.

Tail Swallower And Dove may not make a lot of sense initially but by Christ is it a quality album and one you’ll need plenty of time with too. The first week or so of solid listening only revealed about a third of what it actually has to offer. Now it’s become an essential piece of everyday kit, every song close to perfection.

Unafraid to delve into building, pulsing or atmospheric mid-sections while throwing choppy punk-shapes (“Ethric Double,” “Woolen Heirs”), TAAS manage to straddle the gap between Pelican, Genghis Tron, Baroness, Liars and The Blood Brothers. They may not sound much like any of those bands really, but if you’re into that bunch you’re definitely going to get this. This is what pop music would sound if everything was right in the world.

www.thesearmsaresnakes.org