Label: Self released

Date: January 26th, 2021

It has become a common notion that we should all get in touch with our feminine side. Sure, why not? Makes some sense, at least. However, if you are among the half of the world population with a couple of inches of dangling fury between the legs, you must (I cannot underline this enough) be familiar with Clubber Lang. If, by any chance, you are not familiar with it, forget the feminine side, you are in a dire need for a masculine one. And do not worry, there are touchy/feely moments in the movie itself, so it will accommodate both sides of your dual personality.

So, “what’s your prediction for the fight?”

“Pain.”

Not!

This Irish quartet is far away from what you might expect of a band name like this. Quite frankly, I expected a merciless hardcore punk barrage to hit me across the head over and over again. What I got is certainly a punk derivate. However, I am tempted to call it post-punk. Or new wave, for that matter. Garage rock? Post-rock? Who knows, there is a bit of every mentioned genre involved in this two track single. Musicians involved in this project certainly have more than enough experience with various musical experiments and it clearly shows.

Klubber Lang bases their music on fairly simple guitar riffs and firm rhythm section. This type of offering is definitely based on the garage scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Still, their compositions are rounded by a “spacey” keyboard which will give out this mid-career “Bowie-esque” vibe. To name some forerunners of punk that exude from the single, there are MC5, the Stooges, along with the glitz and glamour stuff such as New York Dolls. Not to forget Talking Heads as an example of the incredibly expressive vocal performance. Now, do not get me wrong, Ciaran McGoldrick is not mimicking David Byrne. He gives out more of an aggressive touch to his vocal work. I’m just saying the man has a way of adapting his voice to the feel of the track. With regards to pure voice, Mr. McGoldrick is a cleaner version of Iggy Pop, but just as pissed off and cocky.

Since the single lasts for just about 5 minutes and you’ve wasted more than that reading this review, I’m going to stop right here. And go play “Rocky 3” once again.

R.I.P. Mickey Goldmill

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