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nexus magazine<br />
FVEY<br />
ALBUM REVIEW BY JAMES RAFFAN<br />
Deep Fantasy<br />
ALBUM REVIEW BY HP<br />
I used to wonder if James Reed from the Feelers lay awake in his<br />
Christchurch flat wondering why his music was commercial and soulless<br />
when compared with John Toogood’s Shihad. I thought Shihad<br />
could do no wrong. Then they changed their name to Pacifier and<br />
seemingly spent the majority of the next decade producing shit music<br />
and hiding behind hackish clichés like “We are discovering a new<br />
sound.” And just like that I was done with Shihad.<br />
After 2010’s “Ignite” it seemed even Shihad was done with<br />
Shihad. And it seems weird to be writing the next part but it<br />
feels like the band was reawakened after the tragic events of the<br />
Christchurch earthquake.<br />
FVEY doesn’t just sound like a love letter to Christchurch, it sounds<br />
like a desire to return back to their roots and to rediscover what made<br />
them great. Toogood is back to his “General Electric” best and, unlike<br />
the upcoming Brooke Fraser album, they haven’t tried to ride the<br />
Lorde wave and create a derivative new sound. Shihad are just back to<br />
what made them fucking great to begin with. Hard driving guitar riffs<br />
and vocals that make you want to lose your shit and throw yourself<br />
around. This isn’t just rock for the sake of rock though. Shihad has<br />
something to say. Songs like “The Big Lie,” “Think You’re So Free,”<br />
and the slightly punk (at least in chord progression) “Model Citizen”<br />
let you know that Shihad are angry. And let’s face it- angry has always<br />
worked best for Shihad.<br />
Feminist Punk Rock holds a sweet spot in my heart I have to admit. It<br />
reminds me of my sweet lady friend ranting and raving. It reminds me<br />
of bands I used to play in. It reminds me of getting angry. So Canadian<br />
quartet, White Lung was probably a band I was always going to have a<br />
predisposition to enjoy. Their third album, however, might be as close<br />
to perfect as anyone could hope for.<br />
At <strong>22</strong> minutes, there is a lot to love in not a lot of time. The band<br />
flies along at breakneck pace. Opener, Down with the Monster, is<br />
a microcosm of the album. It screeches and smashes with heavy<br />
cymbals while singer Mish Way chants rhythmic mission statements.<br />
Then the band hurtles into standout track, Down it Goes, with its<br />
pop-hook-laden chorus and frantic guitars. The energy of this band<br />
is infectious; soon feet are tapping, heads nodding and if you’re not<br />
careful, a mosh pit is bound to break out in your kitchen.<br />
The word feminist can put people off. For one reason or another,<br />
some have interpreted that word as man-hating fascists, but that’s not<br />
the essence of this band or their message at all. It’s about a woman<br />
(or women) holding their own. Lyrics like “I'm not as strong as you/<br />
But I am everywhere” are throughout. But hey, if you don’t want to<br />
get too deep, just get this record cos it kicks serious ass.<br />
12 nexusmag.co.nz
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