CD REVIEW: Ratworld by Menace Beach

The Leeds duo are relatively new on the scene, having only released Ratworld in January, and the album certainly reflects this.

The experimental interlude of Blue Eye and the soft jaunty rhythm of Drop Outs demonstrates the work of a band still struggling to find their own voice.

The album starts well with the easily listenable Come on Give Up and Elastic, illustrating a feel-good rhythm, and reminding listeners to forget about past relationships.

Dig It Up and Tastes Like Medicine also display a new and mature sound.

But this is soon short-lived when Pick Out the Pieces makes a brass introduction.

The slow and erratic rhythm makes it almost painful to listen to, not to mention the fact that the record sounds as if it’s being scratched whilst the track is playing.

Although most of the tracks reguirgitate more or less the same tune, Lowtalkin and Tennis Court breaks up the monotonous sounds rather badly.

The two tracks seem to provide elongated moments of screeching which don’t really offer anything to the listener, who has to turn down the volume of their iPod to avoid becoming deaf.

Whether this is a tactical move and conveys the “rough patch” in a relationship or is by coincidence, the band are trying too hard to be different and are instead coming across as pretentious.

Nonetheless, Ratworld is not a bad first attempt, and the group who are made up of Ryan Needham and Liza Violet, offer something quite unique which is the male/female collaboration and the variety of vocals they create as a result.