THE FUMES – SUNDANCER
The Fumes are a hard-boiled addition to the increasing global army of two-piece bands – their hard-rock approach to the minimalist blues is potent and effacing, and the humidity of their masculine guitar hooks and tin-shed drums finds a fresh platform on this new album. The thing that makes their little combo so engaging aside from the solid songwriting is the sheer force of the delivery – Steve Merry is a terrific vocalist; his goatish snarl drives the songs with a charming irreverence. Between him and the rumbling drums and percussion of Joel Battersby, they really know how to make a well-conceived racket. Who Do You Love rings of the headiest days of Steppenwolf, and the sneering roadhouse rock of Slay The Liar is suitably whiskey-soaked. Merry also plays a great Dobro – its metallic clang snakes its way through The Letter and the fantastically fun Cuddle Up To The Devil. The colours even shift to the melancholic with the piano-driven, drunken weeper Never Gonna Get Back Home. This is a satisfying journey, a sensory road-trip that pinpoints these guys as a strong force in Australian alternative blues.
***1/2
