Turdus Musicus
Here Goes!
Intimate Records

From out of Tromsø rock city (uh, so cliche..) rambles Turdus Musicus (TM) with their first full album, a follow up to the promising Intimate Noise EP 2-3 years ago. Now they jump-attack you from track one, all dressed in white jumpers, blue trousers, and bowling shoes! All of them with bleached hairdos. Weirdos? Just Northerners I guess...

'Intimate noise' could be a fitting tag for the music of TM. They're private, as well as primates. Presenting primal screams along with some more emo-like momets. Imagine a mix of Fugazi and Faith No More. TM sound very 'party'. You could call it happy-core or joy-core or jump-core. I don't say they're a cheering, grinning bunch - they're rough and brutal for sure. It's just that they're so full of energy and power. They scream and roar, twist and crawl. Leaving this feeling of good mood. And they're said to be a killer live act. One could also name them a hardcore act, but that's such a boring sounding tag these days.

So where goes Here Goes! then? 12 songs of rather high intensity. Properly arranged and skillfully played. Very tight indeed! A lot of nifty guitar picks and riffs, excellent drumming. The quintet sure has spent time in the rehearsal room as well as playing live. There has been some changes in the line-up since the EP, but the core is still Carl Christian Lein Størmer (voals, lyrics, flute, noise) and Halvard Rundberg (guitar, backing vox). "Anyone" is a fine kick-start of an album of certain quality. "Masquerade" is quite metallic and brutal sounding (some vocal parts). The title-track is another blast, and from there TN run through their album. Not all the songs are too exciting but as a whole Here Goes! is a more than decent debut. Much thanks to TM's ability to mix aggressive and melodic parts. Highlites: the former mentioned opener "Anyone", the complex "Perfectly Fine", the tough and catchy "Disco" and "Happy (throw a brick)", and my ultimate fave track "Goodbye".

Some monstermagnetism or soundgardening anyone? Check out Here Goes!. Guess we'll hear more from this youngsters (still in the early 20s). But, honestly...Turdus Musicus... - ever considered finding a new name. I mean...if you want to be taken more seriously. Well, it's just a thought. Or a tip. It's a free world.

Copyright © 2004 Håvard Oppøyen