This is the third album from avant-garde freak-orchestra Chrome Hoof, and at this stage in their career the group have solidified their shift from the electronic roots of their early days as a duo towards a beefier full-band sound. The addition of new members over the years (there are now ten members in the band) has turned them into a more playful outfit overall.
This evolution does not necessarily mean that they sound like a completely new outfit - instrumental track "Vapourise" is an all-out disco-synth onslaught and could get away with being played in the most standard of clubs. There is still an electronic element to Chrome Hoof, but the variety of genres brought into the mix has increased tenfold. One track, "Sea Hornet" goes through a number of baffling sections, from jazzy breakdowns to cheese-synth onslaughts and back again. "Bunkers Paradise" is also a good example of many of these styles rolled into one, and the overall results are bizarre to say the least.
Lola Olafisoye's vocal style ranges from menacing whispers to excitable squeals. These can prove interesting, but the lack of commitment to one style can be tedious at times. Thankfully, the vocals are placed aside at just the right moments, giving way to a variety of interesting instrumental sections. However, these sections too are too shifty and slippery - as soon as one section gains momentum, the direction of this music will completely shift and a new section will be unwillingly forced upon you. The band obviously does this on purpose - everything they do is undoubtedly calculated and tight, but it more often than not verges towards dodgy-prog territory. This is most tedious on the ten minute long "Witches Instruments And Furnaces", which winds through a number of different messy passages and comes off as an endurance test more than anything. It is Crush Depth's biggest offender and demonstrates why this band needs to have more focus.
Crush Depth is certainly an interesting bag of different odd sounds and there is some material in here to be savoured, but sometimes it comes across as if Chrome Hoof are trying to hard to come across as weird and unpredictable. The band's tinfoil sci-fi image doesn't suggest a willingness to tone this down much. Note, it will be interesting to see these songs performed live - the band as a living, breathing entity will likely captivate and they will most likely put on a show to remember, but once the initial novelty of their recordings wear off, Chrome Hoof's schizophrenic attitude towards making music is ultimately a frustrating experience for this reviewer.
"Crush Depth" is out now on Southern Records.
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