Volume 1 by Tube Warmers: Album Review
Volume 1 by Tube Warmers: Album Review
Hailing from NSW Australia, Tube Warmers are a young, instrumental trio who recently dropped their first album, appropriately titled Volume 1.
They kick off their initial effort with a seven-minute and forty-one-second instrumental called “Shadow Flicker”, their first single, that builds slowly with interweaving guitar and bass lines reminiscent of Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats record. The track becomes energetic and picks up in tempo without becoming too self-indulgent. The interplay between guitar and bass gives the song a mildly psychedelic feel and keeps it interesting until its abrupt ending.
On “It’s Only a Gateway Drug” the repetitious guitar work builds in intensity until just before the two-minute mark where it draws back a bit and again takes off.
One of the more interesting songs on the disc is “Top Gun Malone”, which sounds like it could have been on a soundtrack to a 1970s urban detective film; something that might accompany a scene from Shaft or Foxy Brown. It’s slick with a retro sound to it.
The drums and bass work particularly well together on “First Song Ever Recorded”. Nothing flashy or phony– just a straight-ahead, solid rhythm section that allows guitarist Max Anderson to demonstrate his chops.
“Gypsy Jazz” is a slower piece that lets the guitar work speak for itself in a clear, concise manner that most bands miss these days. At just two minutes and thirty-one seconds, it’s a short piece, but it grabs your attention from the beginning and keeps your attention throughout.
“The Last Song Ever Recorded” showcases the drums, but not to the extent that it becomes overdone or tiresome. When the guitar enters, it produces a strong well-balanced melody that moves into a sequence of intense, intricate riffs that are complicated and concise. The band pulls back in the final minute and allows the work to come to a haunting end.
The drums and bass set the tone of “Croquet World Tour”. When the guitar kicks in, it creates an interweaving section of riffs that appears to be the band’s trademark. They make it work. This song is a bit softer than the rest of the record but, it ends on a screaming upsurge that fades to a quick end.
The start of “Super Ultra Mega Jam” sounds like what the blues players used to call ‘dirty guitar work’ where the players took things in any direction that hit them. It instantly emerges into a surge of fast, engrossing guitar work that doesn’t let up until the last note.
They change things up a bit with a tune called “Belly Oil”. The drums and bass come flying in as the guitar seems to be racing to keep pace. Halfway through this piece, they slow it down and begin a slow, steady buildup that accents the great melding of these three capable musicians.
Volume 1 closes with “Reverse Lean”. A soft, melodic piece that at times crosses over to a chaotic cacophony of almost guitar riffs.
While this album is not remarkable, it showcases a talented young band that shows promise.
Kynan Malone
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