Akimbo
play noise rock that's one-third
Black Flag
, one-third
Black Sabbath
, and one-third beer. Strange, then, that this Seattle trio has made a somewhat psychedelic concept record. It's about the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. The liner notes, accompanied by paintings and old photographs, set out the events, which the lyrics recast poetically. While the ambition is admirable, its execution falls short. The songs' ebb and flow are probably intended to evoke the tension and release of shark attacks. But despite visceral interplay between guitar and bass, they lack depth. The riffs are simplistic, and quiet passages plod instead of conjuring dread. At times, the guitarist reaches a heroic approximation of psychedelia. But long songs (two top ten minutes in length) don't suit
. They excel at breaking things, not making them. Strong riffs and bullheaded tones are present here -- they're just lost at sea. These opuses should have been halved in length, like their subject matter. ~ Cosmo Lee