Lustre King
Shoot The Messenger
Southern
This record totally blows me away. It follows in the footsteps of their debut, but Shoot The Messenger is so much farther advanced and refined. If certain cities really are purveyors of certain styles then it may be worthwhile to note that Lustre King are from Chicago. Their sound gives them away a little, anyhow – noisy, instrumentally quick-witted, mature, with some dirt under their nails. They tend to let their instruments do the talking rather than relying on vocals, which is fine by me. They hold their own just fine. Drums, bass, and guitar with all sorts of angles and amazingly recorded sounds. Solid as hell. The basics get accentuated here and there with appearances by vibes, steel drums, synth, piano, turntables, all woven into the greater sound naturally and with much success. Guests vocals from Brian Case of 90 Day Men on two songs and Tim Kinsella of Joan of Arc on one. A great record all around, from the songs and recording to the photography and layout. Rock.
Southern Records, P.O. Box 577375, Chicago, IL 60657; http://www.southern.com
