Like a throwback to the 90s, London quartet Smallgang have crafted a curious record that plucks riffery from the handbook of classic indie-noodling and pairs it up with literate musings. At its best on opening trio (‘Out of Nothing’, ‘Wrong Side’, ‘Cockpit’) Trespasses is onto a winner, the vocals are delivered in a disinterested fashion but in a really compelling way as opposed to lacklustre, and the guitars – often duelling with harmony and counterpoint – are most enjoyable if a little nippy at times.
However, the album suffers substantially from a top-heavy running order and as it unveils in it’s weaker moments (‘Like A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron’, ‘Lost in the Post’), the band come off sounding more like a poor-man’s Mansun (and that my friends is a poor man indeed!) rather than the stylish art-rockers that one suspects Smallgang are striving to be.
The majority of Trespasses kicks up interesting arrangements and excellent playful production but it would appear Smallgang have simply jumped the shark. They would have no doubt produced something far more rewarding and lasting if they had only another handful of songs that match the prowess of the album’s strong opening run.
- Monoganon - 28 October 2013
- Randan Discotheque - 1 February 2013
- The Voluntary Butler Scheme - 4 August 2011