So much great music comes from California. I don’t know what it is, must be something in the water, but here comes another juggernaut of sound called IIIZ (Eyes). Their self titled album grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. Sounding like an aggressive cross between indie-punk and hip-hop without limits, there is no denying the sheer power of what this band brings to the table.
Opening with Get Away, which features the lyrical assassin Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, this is how you start an album! The song is as haunting as a great Gorillaz track and as in your face as something from the Nine Inch Nails camp. There isn’t a lot of music out there right now that sounds as original as this.
Get Away is a tough act to follow, which is exactly what makes Manic Pixie such an impressive song on its own. This is a lethal and devious track that relies on getting in your face with the synths. The singing style is very much in line with Franz Ferdinand, but with a bit more anger in the mix. There is no way you won’t turn this track up loud or listen to it a second time in a row, just like I did.
After two incredible high energy tracks that make me feel as if I have main-veined three Red Bulls, I wasn’t sure whether the pace was going to stay the same throughout the album, thankfully there are a few tracks to break up the moment a bit to offer us a bit more diversity in the already extremely diverse sound. The Light is the track that does this. Bringing in mainly female vocals, this is a club ready track and no doubt is exactly where it is heading.
A track that catches you from the moment it starts is called Straw Dogs, and if I had to mash together two artists to make this song up, it would be guitars by Jack White and vocals by the Hayley Williams of Paramore. From start to finish, this is a high energy track that is like the rest of the album, masterfully produced and mixed.
Many albums released have a few gems and a few more duds, and it is rare to see an album that consistently kills it from start to finish. A big congratulations goes out to IIIZ for this great effort. With a focused effort on promotion and social networking, this album will catch on like wildfire.
9/10
