CHROME DOME - Negative Vibes cassette
Didn't know dick about this band when I bought this cassette last Saturday. I just knew that I needed a new tape to play in the car, since the "family vehicle" (a 1992 model) only has a cassette player and I am sick to goddamn death of playing the half-dozen cassettes I happen to keep in the car. But anyway, that's not interesting: this cassette is. Chrome Dome are a new Melbourne duo; I'd heard the name around town, but presumed nothing except to say that they're probably young and hip and likely totally out of my sphere of interest. I'm happy to report I'm wrong. I checked out their Myspace page during the week and suddenly noticed that one of the two is the tall, big-haired guy who I'd seen play saxophone for local hardcore/noise-rockers, Pathetic Human (and also the same guy I tried to convince to play saxophone for Flipper at their Arthouse show). Right. Look, the point is this: it's a three-song cassette which pissed me off for one reason: I'd like to hear more. The three songs finish, so I press FFWD and then it's the same three songs on the B-side. That's not enough of a good thing. The name of the band possibly gives away a little of where they're coming from. There's a touch of Chrome damage here, but even more so I'd say their music, a cold, stiff electro boogie enriched by bargain-bin electronic drums and cheap synths, is an ace combination of early Cabaret Voltaire, Suicide and the Screamers. That's three bands I love, you know that. Sure, they're obvious references, and Chrome Dome ain't exactly rewriting the book on coldwave electro-punk, but what the hell do ya expect??!! It's 2009; this stuff is strictly nth generation by now, but CD do it well, and I wanna hear more. The Kids are awright.