It’s rare to put on a new album and get exactly what you wanted out of it. Some artists are of a breed that don’t necessarily share the same views as their audiences. They can do what they like. Fans will still buy what they release, and then make their decision once listening. They may like what they hear, they may not. At the end of the day, the artist has released what they wanted to release. It’s the fans that are left to decide whether the album is what they were after or not.
Oddfellows is exactly what I wanted to hear from Tomahawk in their fourth album. Not that they care, but it is. Plain and simple, this album is a perfect representation of what make this band so good.
First track, Oddfellows, features guitarist and chief songwriter Duane Denison’s hypnotic guitar riffs, laid bare and cutthroat over Stainier’s kick snare punch. Trevor Dunn, of Mr.Bungle/Fantomas joins the group for the first time, and his signature mix of slop-tone bass suits, and follows these riffs seamlessly. Enter Patton’s crooning baritone from hell, and you know what you’re in for.
Fans of the band’s first album will no doubt hit repeat after hearing first single Stone Letter, as it grabs your attention and leaves you singing along to a chorus that is closest to resembling anything from Patton’s former colleagues Faith No More (think Album Of The Year era.) However, it’s not all riffs and screams. The band turn the tide by track three for IOU, a song that opens with an ominous sampled drum and piano combo that walks you down to Mike’s echo-laden voice building as he tells us he may “Owe you a love song, for everything I’ve done wrong.”
This track is an indication of the ‘other-half’ of the albums vibe. There’s touches of jazz, (Rise Up Dirty Waters), walls of sound that would have Phil Spektor turning in his cell (South Paw) and some downright amazing melodies soaring, only to finish within under four minutes.
With each ‘arm’ of the band operating at their finest, Oddfellows is pure gold.
BY CAM EWART
Best Track: White Hat/Black Hat or A Thousand Eyes
If You Like This, You’ll Like These: Self-Titled MR.BUNGLE …anything involving Mike Patton.
In A Word: Satisfying
