Lil Daggers – King Corpse
Lil Daggers immediately strike a chord on this 4-track vinyl EP, concocting a potent sound that draws from Garage Rock, Punk, Psychedelia and Surf. The brilliant title track is furnished with stabbing (no pun intended) grimy organ and unobtrusive, reverberated vocals while the rollicking percussion and dusty, feedback-infected guitar sound motors the track along. ‘Hungry’ lasts just two minutes and is buried in lo-fi grit, but a nostalgic chorus still shines through. Likewise, ‘Devil You Know’ is played at breakneck speed and is kind of messy, featuring scuzzy guitar and more kooky organ, yet an infectious, sun-bursting 60’s melody manages to evade all the furious instrumentation and make itself known.
It’s left for the Daggers to usher in the glorious EP highlight ‘Ya Tu Sabe’ where their evocative psychedelic tendencies come to the fore via some excellent Doors -like keys, stopping abruptly just as it seems they’re about to embark on a particularly narcotic, Technicolor Psych jam. This Miami quintet career through this record and it all seems over in the blink of an eye. Not without leaving a considerable imprint though. There are notes of a less hypnogogic version of The Black Angels throughout here; these tracks are not as mysterious or steamy as their Psych counterparts. But it’s not explicitly sun, sea and sand either; Lil Daggers emit their own gnarling and mischievous aura.
~Fans in the UK can order the EP via Scottish imprint Song, By Toad Records . While Limited|Fanfare have released their self-titled LP, available on 2 colours, 100 copies on White Marble Vinyl with a screen-printed insert and 400 copies on 150 gram Black Vinyl.~
~Review originally appeared at Mike’s blog, Phantom Channel.~