Returning readers might have noticed I like to be able to hear the bass guitar. It is an instrument that is too often a victim of a less than stellar production. French band //LESS are here to my aid. Their trick is simple and effective: instead of the more regular trio of drums, bass and guitar they opt to leave out the guitar. And replace it with more bass.
This made me curious: how does this play out for this new French band. Well, they manage to make one heavy album this way. Funny thing is: I didn’t miss the guitars for one second. The sound on this two song EP reminds me of Haystacks album Slave Me, even though that band does use a guitar. Also brilliant Dutch noise band Brito came to mind. As I think Haystack and Brito might not ring any bells with most of you I’ll try to describe the sound. Useless contains two short very noisy punk tracks. Both are off course very bass heavy, but at least one of the bass guitars uses effects to replace the guitar sound.
Over that thick layer of rumbling bass the singer shouts lyrics. At times his voice sounds slightly post-punky, but at times almost hardcore.
I dig what I hear although I must admit I have some reservations too. This EP is pretty cool and has some replay value. If I would have to listen to a full length I would need to see some more diversity in songwriting or sound to keep things interesting (then again, how much diversity can I expect in only two songs). All in all, I do look forward to their next release.
