The Sharks "Infamy"

(The Western Star Recording Company 2012)

House of Wax
A Tornado Called Smith
Holloway Road
The King Of London
First Men On the Moon
Control
Ship To Shore
Hell Riders
I Can't Believe You're Back
Breakin' Bones
Luck O' The Irish
Desert Diamond
She's Fallen In Love With The Monster-Man

I'm a man of simple tastes yet hard to please. That may sound like an oxymoron but it doesn't stop there. I have a handful of favourite bands on this scene and when they announce a new release I look forward to it like nothing else. Unfortunately I have been disappointed by these new releases in recent times. On the other hand, in-keeping with the whole self-contradictory theme, The Sharks were never one of my favourite bands. I didn't "dislike" them, I just found them ok so to speak. So when they announced a new release it was something I'd planned to pick up eventually as they weren't in that little elite handful of "favourites". Well "eventually" in this case meant a week or two after release and as sure as Jaysus they blew that elite handful out of the water. Crystal clear production, diverse and with enough twists and turns in the songs to keep your finger well and truly away from the "next" button before each track finishes. There's even a Céilíbilly tune (I've just made that term up) penned by everyone's favourite Plastic Paddy Mr. Wilson himself with one Mr. Philip 'Doyley' Doyle providing the vocals. Great craic. If this album was a book it'd be a page-turner. Each song is like a novella with a solid rockin' beat as a soundtrack. What it's not is the usual formulaic rockin' fare that you could write yourself in five minutes. What it is a pristinely packaged album with a big psycho-rockabilly beat and more besides, but for grown-ups.

 

The O'Prez 2012

 

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