It's nice to have something nasty around, oozing from the speakers like slime,
sneering at your neighbors, ruffling their feathers. It's nice to have
around, but you might feel a tad guilty keeping it from the seedy, greasy
holes-in-the-wall it was meant for. Gin Palace's filthy rock 'n' roll
sound feels out of place at home. But if you got nowhere else to go,
it'll take you there (to a seedy, greasy hole-in-the-wall, that is),
in your head at least. You can feel the smoky black walls of the windowless
dive shake as Gin Palace open the seven-track CD with the thrashing,
riotous "Too Much For You" and — riding on a thrusting rhythm and
an intimidating Siouxsie sneer — for some of you, it just might
be. If the Delta blues-y "Black/White" were human it would creep along
on all fours, ready to strike as the menacing guitar bangs out snarling
surf-ish riffs and lead singer Meaghan Wilkie sits in the corner piss-drunk,
grumbling and hollering. "Lady" features a grimy blues rhythm section,
shattering riffs and distant, disoriented growls from Wilkie while the
closer, "Fragment," alternates between minimal, grinding repetition and
full-on guitar attacks. You've heard this post-punk growl and rock 'n'
roll grit before, but only a few, like Gin Palace, can deliver the real
thing.
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