New War – Ghostwalking 12” EP (Fast Weapons)
From the Australian rock scene you don’t hear about comes New War, playing one long, ample-sounding post-punk whiner, filled with one-chord synth stabs that feel like someone kicking your seat, some thoughtful rim clicks and tomwork, moaning vocals, and thick bass. It’s way too moody and dour to dance to on its own, and too long by half – the dub action in the second half of the tracks opens up no new revelations to the listener who just spent five minutes getting there. Remixes by the Gossip (added drum machine + vocal tracks) and HTRK (filtered percussion hits, canned presentation of everything else) do nothing to help the track’s danceability. Feels like someone forgot they can’t polish turds and just went at it anyway. Hope they washed it off. (http://fastweapons.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
