Track Listing

1. Hate Rock Trio
2. Look What's Been Done
3. Look Down The Line
4. Look At That Girl
5. Look At Her
6. You Injured Me
7. I'm All Broke Up

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #83817 in Music
• Released on: 2007-05-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .13 pounds

Customer Reviews

Hate Rock Trio...
HTRK (Hate Rock Trio) originate from Melbourne, Australia - though in a tradition started by The Birthday Party and Jim 'Foetus' Thirwell, they have relocated to Berlin. The trio - Sean Stewart, Nigel Yit Mern Yang, and Jonnine Clementine Davis - are being hotly tipped by forward thinking magazines like Plan B, and will hopefully deliver one of the great debut albums with the forthcoming 'Marry Me Tonight.' In the meantime, Fire issue this mini-album/e.p. (36 minutes and 12 seconds in duration), which is a pretty fine introduction. Though acquiring 'Nostalgia' has been a nightmare, twice I attempted to get import copies and twice I failed, this is a record most definitely worth being persistent and tracking down.

The seven tracks here are suitably uncompromising, a blend of minimalism, electronic/industrial and feedback - the band appear to be heavily influenced by Rowland S. Howard and his howling guitar work from the Birthday Party would be a good pointer. The minimal percussion/drum machine sound reminds me of the early demos of Suicide, as well as the 'Reptile House' e.p. by The Sisters of Mercy - the dirgy bass sounding not unlike Joy Division. Maybe Throbbing Gristle circa 'Mission of Dead Souls' playing a Joy Division song would be a good marker? Singer Jonnine Clementine Davis sounds like a collision of Lydia Lunch and Hope Sandoval...which can only be a great thing, ja?

There is a lot of good feedback driven noise around these days - Earth, Sunno)), Porn, Harvey Milk etc- as well as the silly side of things like Wolf Eyes (distant relatives of HTRK as both nod to things like Throbbing Gristle and SPK)- HTRK fit in perfectly. In many ways, the feedback sounds a fresh as the feedback on 'Never Understand' by The Jesus & Mary Chain (& their longplayer 'Psychocandy'). A working knowledge of 'Metal Machine Music', 'Zyklon Z Zombie' and 'White Light/White Heat' might be helpful. Like a lot of uncompromising underground music, you need to give it a few listens to sink in - once it does...you won't be able to wait for that debut album proper.

It is possible that HTRK might feel to some, like Earth or Wolf Eyes, as just a bunch of noise - you might wonder if the notion of Post-Postrock should be born, as it appears it has with Everybody by the Sea & Cake? Where noise becomes nonsense is a judgement call, some people can take Metal Machine Music or Free Jazz, some can't take it no more. You might think of the most feedback driven work of Throbbing Gristle - 'Look at Her' certainly has bass worthy of Genesis Breyer P-Orridge. Think 'Wall of Sound', 'Guts on the Floor', 'We Hate You (Little Girls)', or 'The Process' and you're near. 'Look at That Girl' meanwhile feels more like a blend of industrial types like early Cabs or Suicide with a string driven drone as decent as anything on Constellation. 'You Injured Me' sounds like the Mary Chain if fixated on Neubauten and the Third Eye Foundation, while the closing 'I'm All Broke Up' is quite lovely, containing more vocals that don't appear to be words, and maybe the step on from 'Loveless' that we really need?

'Nostalgia' is well worth picking up, listening to other HTRK material on their my space page it seems that they have more electronic driven works and probably won't stay in this place for long. Still...a very welcome release for those with open minds, hope the debut album appears shortly, and maybe a UK tour? HTRK are definitely ones to watch then...& the inner sleeve finds all three members topless, a bit like Michael Stipe and friends in the promo of 'Pop Song '89.' The presence of female breasts aligns this record with albums by Boss Hog, PJ Harvey, Liz Phair, & The Slits, which is interesting...