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Puerto Muerto
'Stars' (Fire)
When all in alternative-land is back to basics, still none strip it
back so far as Chicago's Puerto Muerto. Compared to other duos just
for the number of people - like comparing Fonda 500 to Radiohead just
because each has five people with guitars and electronics - this husband
and wife are more down to earth and up for earthiness than the White
Stripes, less metropolitan but more clued-up than those old Moldy Peaches.
Tim and Christina follow as much in the tradition of European travelling
players as of the rock. And it's easy for them to travel; all they need
to carry is one guitar, a dirty amp and one big drum. The last (mini)
album 'Elena' brought in some dodgy synths and storytelling techniques,
but this single from the forthcoming 'See You In Hell' returns to the
bare aesthetic of their marvellous debut 'Your Bloated Corpse Has Washed
Ashore!'.
And this tune works its way into your system like a slowly hammering worm!
Alongside the bluesy groove of their
own compositions we get their take on the Kinks' 'Alcohol', a sorry
tale worthy of their own metier if ever there was one. But with the
quality of their baroque folk style, they could probably force out sympathy
in Avril Lavigne's 'SK8er Boi'.
FIRE RECORDS of Nottingham, The Vicarage, Nottingham, NG2 4QB
