TVOD - The Farm (Mothland) 
Release Date: Out Now
New York City collective TVOD have pulled together something pretty special on new album 'The Farm' so I'd set some time aside for a listen if you can. The album opens, logically, on 'Welcome To The Farm' - essentially just farmyard animal noises with a punk ending - before 'Clorox' gets us going properly with an intense and visceral two minutes of grinding punk riffage. 'Wet Brain' rattles in next with Ramones attitude and melodies hanging on for dear life in the face of furious, finger shredding riffs. There's a tonal shift on 'Rerun' which is more post-punk with elements of Devo and Talking Heads firing off the louche bass line and angular guitars that make you sit up and pay attention.
The sinister energy and angular punk of 'Bottomless Pit' really hits you between the eyes without any kind of warming while 'Natalie Portman' takes a more subtle approach with a Cure-esque sound matched with a direct, Engine 88 meets Cable energy. Similarly, 'Rotten' lurches and swaggers with inconsistent energy and vibes before 'Pilots' brings the animals back for backing vocals and a song that sounds like really early U2 with buzzsaw guitars doing battle with impatient drums. Impatient is the word for this album, in fact, as urgency cuts through all of these songs including 'Crab' which might sound more laid back but there's a very English sounding punch and thrust to the chorus.
Penultimate track 'Meetings' buzzes along with the energy of a band hanging onto their parts by the fingertips but hang on they do and without missing a beat or note. The album on the mellowest point of the whole album as 'Counting Sheep (Bed)' sends us off to the land of nod with some smooth and comforting instrumental indie jamming. This is the kind of album that keeps you guessing but never really gives you a chance to settle long enough to work out what the answer is - superb stuff with multiple layers to enjoy.
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