records

Check Engine - s/t [lp] Don't denounce the engine. Whatever you do, you cannot ever denounce the engine... Armed with invaluable advice and some of the greatest sax-driven hardcore this side of... well... Sweep The Leg Johnny, Check Engine have made a punk album with a difference, a multi-coloured, raw album of inspirational passion and amazing musicianship. Indeed, one can only pay it the highest possible accolade and compare it, in parts, to the glory of early Monsoon Bassoon. It's some sort of pop-emo-jazzy-thing, like Fugazi gone prog, but through all the intricate patterns it retains a lightness of touch and ease of rhythm which makes it sound like the most naturally beautiful thing on earth. Ultimately, it is all so very simple, with each layer adding a new dimension to the genius. Even when Steve Sostak's saxophone squeals in random discord, or the guitars fly off at obtuse tangents and little cameos set you off in completely the wrong direction, it never loses the style or accessibility which only the very best can tap into. 'Where's My Social Worker?', for starters, drops you right in at the deep end and throws you all over the place even before the coolest of vocals have swaggered into view. And 'How Bad (Do You Want It)?' somehow manages to feature hand-clapping and still sound amazing, as the sax floats around in the background. Then 'I'll See You In Two And Two' matches a churning groove with a sneering vocal that could almost be Jello Biafra, before 'Pain Don't Hurt' throws you back into the pit one last time with a yell of, "come on, this song's about confidence", only to amble harmlessly out of sight. Check Engine are so very much more than a Sweep side project. And this is so much more than a good album. Steve