Single Review by Mark Bayross
Australian three piece Gerling are the latest contenders to the left-field indie pop throne, and have already supported Sebadoh, Pavement, Tortoise and the current monarch, Beck. They come armed with suitably silly names: Darren E Spielberg-Cross, Burke Reid, and Paul Towner Presser.
Whether their names are real or not isn’t very important. Of more importance is whether the impressive list of instruments they purport to play (“bugle, recorder, shaker and prank phone calls” – yeah, very funny) actually produces anything in the way of sonic creativity.
The title track is a pretty straightforward upbeat nihilistic guitar number, but the faux-simplistic beats of SPIRITUAL GUIDE are more experimental, even if the song doesn’t really go anywhere. The amusingly titled EVERYONE’S A DJ (ain’t that the truth!) is a lot more impressive, splicing hip-hop beats and scratches to distorted expletives and slow-motion bass.
By the final track, WASABI HORSE, the weirdness is full-on, consisting of a looped, muffled disco rhythm over which the singer (presumably Mr Spielberg Cross) mutters stream of consciousness about his family and how it screwed him up, William Burroughs-style. It’s very odd, funny and not a little disturbing at times.
Their debut album, CHILDREN OF TELEPATHIC EXPERIENCES, is out later this year. Should be interesting.
