Guessmen, "Black Balloons / Death by a Thousand Lashes"

With their pop game sharpened to a fine point, Guessmen are still exploring the noir-cartoon world of vocalist Alan Edge's head making them an appealingly dark-and-day-glo experience. The A side of this 7" single, "Black Balloons," forms like a murder of clouds stamped with an indelible paperclip-and-biro tattooed hook, the thick synth melody coming on like tar flavored honey.

 

co-lab

Setting itself in motion with pork scratching percussion loops like Her Majesty's Prison breaking out the robot guards, "Black Balloons" is the sound of low quality speed psychosis. It is a rut of club hedonism before an antisocial bass instigated mental collapse, the beat drop prompting one of those everyone-starts-moving-at-the-same-moment moments.

The non-LP B-side cut is 100% Working Man's Club video console acid, packing more swing than Mr. Bumble's hand. "Death by a Thousand Lashes" runs up and down the grooves, a skewed snakes and ladders game of bass, drum and synth. Behind its brief spiky percussion and bent reality bass there are plenty of left turns and plummets.

Read More