Album Review: Riffing & Yelling Part 1

A few weeks ago Dead Favours released the single Move On and now they have released Side A of Riffing & Yelling, six songs determined to grab hold of your brain and never let go. When I reviewed the single, I attempted to describe it as possibly Kyuss mixed with Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, and The Darkness and here we have 22 minutes which makes me think that comparison still mostly holds true. The bass being driven by Alex Elvis (Skinny Hobos) switches between setting up a distinct melody line often far removed from the guitar, yet it can also be absolutely filthy dirty at times,  where it brings a real stoner feel into the songs which is amplified by the hard-hitting drumming of Charlie Smith.

Then over the top of that we have Kyle Wetton’s guitar who moves between influences by the likes of The Edge and Matthew Bellamy, while also bringing in elements of Ray Toro, often providing backdrop riffs that are on a totally different level to Alex. It is interesting that at times the bass is driving the melody more than the guitar, with the two musicians creating an incredibly interesting twin dynamic as they weave their musical threads apart and then together again. At the front we have Jared Wrennall (Steriogram), who moves in and out of falsetto with ease, as and when the need arises with an incredibly infectious voice. This combination of different styles and applications are then joined together with those vocals in songs that have massive hooks and are destined to be singalong anthems.

This is an album which has been meticulously arranged, so that at times there is a great deal of space with one or more instruments pulling out for a few bars, and at others it is all heads down and devil take the hindmost. Many musicians forget that an important aspect of the craft is not only the notes they play, but the ones they don’t, and this is something that Dead Favours really understand with very strong contrasts and dynamics. The result is something which is incredibly enjoyable to listen to  without ever getting boring, and is just plain fun, with little vignettes being thrown in (such as the vocals at the end of the title track) which really make the listener smile.

When asked about the album Jared said, “This album was written whilst going through a break-up. Though it’s kind of personal, it’s also on a level that many people will be able to relate to. It’s dark but it’s light, it’s sad but it’s happy. It’s an album I never thought I’d write, but I’m glad I did.” They may be only playing four dates on the tour to promote this but at least they are making it down to South Island and I am certainly looking forward to catching them in Christchurch next weekend. I am already looking forward to Side B of the album, which will be out later this year, and hopefully at that point they will make the decision to make it available on vinyl, as music this good deserves to be cherished. And played loud.