Bang 74 - Let It Drift

I get a lot of music sent to me and I can't always get to it straight away and tucked away out of plain sight was this cracker from last year. Bang 74 are from Ferrol in Spain, but this album is very UK Wave 1979, wonderfully so in fact.

A Power Trio, which seems a prerequisite for many of the best of that scene, these three offer up a no messing 12 songs in 32 minutes. You can imagine them as storming some sweaty club with the audience in the palm of their hands.

There is a real earthiness to Cris Veiga's vocal, not quite the drawl of Graham Parker, nor the shout of Jimmy Pursey. This suits the material, it rocks like a good un', but you sense that the band, like all the best New Wave Bands of the time would have started  thinking they were Punk, but were just too catchy to reside there.

There is variation here. The Park Of The Peacocks borders on Psych Pop, Driftin' has a real Power Pop Jangle and Thru The Desert is even a bit Strummer vocal wise. The latter ends with a Hippy Psych Out which shows what they are capable of.

There will be lazy comparisons to The Replacements, maybe even to The Clash, although they aren't as street as either. You sense that the band are happiest when they are playing at pace, allowing the hooks and shouts to grip their audience.

Let It Drift is raucous. The sort of album that you used to hear a lot, but don't now. It's a thoroughly enjoyable romp and in All Straight Ahead, Bang 74 have a real anthem to hang on to. This is a great little album, well worth your pennies.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

......................