Take A Worm For A Walk Week – T.A.W.F.A.W.W

Given their two previous recordings, at 25 minutes T.A.W.F.A.W.W qualifies as something of an epic for this feral Glaswegian quartet. In fact the days of 30 second blasts of Locust-esque fury are apparently behind them. Instead this time we have ten servings of almost sensibly paced, acerbic post-hardcore nihilism: akin to Tom Waits being minced, fried and messily eaten by the band Daughters.

Indeed “nihilism” is almost certainly the key word here. Tracks end abruptly. Lyrics spiral into post-modern farce. Trumpets and pianos find their sarcastic way in amongst guitar lines as sharp as broken bottles. Meanwhile the rhythm work is as flawless as ever. It's this seamless blending of flippancy and water-tight musicianship that has been the underlying secret to Take A Worm's continuing reputation for unpredictable excellence and thus much of their appeal. T.A.W.F.A.W.W is an inventive, utterly compelling barrage of sneering cynicism mixed with driving hardcore and about as progressive as this genre gets. [Austin Tasseltine]