Im not sure what to make of Heartbreak, the new EP by Brooklyn reprobates Cesspool. It opens with a decidedly twisted take on Elvis' brilliant 'Heartbreak Hotel' (simply called 'Heartbreak' here), and its sleazy rock grooves and unnerving silences amidst the lurching rhythms and yelps mark this as the signature track here. Then we hit the rest of the album - and it is a decidedly ramshackle affair, unlike most of anything Ive heard before. 'Hey Hey Hey' has a quirky female vocal of an effective wurlitzer-like guitar line, warbled pixie lyrics, and is pretty much fucked up, whilst 'HHH' is the barnyard square dance that Timothy Leary would have orchestrated. 'Ski Trip' then becomes a Flaming Lips meets Belle and Sebastian and Ben Folds meandering woozepop hit, and 'Sea Cruise' has a bunch of 50s hillbillies in a 00s garage. Finally we hit the end of Heartbreak with 'Soup-De-Do' - perfectly bookending the madness with an original but nonetheless sister version of 'Heartbreak', all cascading cymbals, squalling guitar licks and tortured vocal cords. This is one strange record, from one strange band. Their music is, by their own definition, 'creepy, dickish, loud, complicated, catchy rock songs.' Fair dues. I likee.
Get Heartbreak here.
