Tube Alloys

Reviews

Tube Alloys Evil Angels / Lizard Kingdom 7″

TUBE ALLOYS return on the heels of last year’s fantastic debut album with a double A-side single for their most recent US tour. These tracks are taken from the same material that became Magnetic Point, so if you dug their debut, you’ll be drawn to these tracks right away. Both tracks here are stellar post-punk. “Evil Angels” is stocked with a propulsive bass line, wiry guitars, snotty vocals, and a brilliant sense of urgency. “Lizard Kingdom” is more post-punk, but you can feel the krautrock seeping in from all sides with its repetitive, almost droning instrumentation, not to mention its brief sample of TRIO’s classic “Da Da Da” to kick things off. Top-tier stuff, as you might expect from the always reliable La Vida Es Un Mus.

Tube Alloys Magnetic Point LP

L.A. (by way of Australia) post-punkers with a knack for all the Colin Newman-isms. The songs on Magnetic Point deliver an encomium to the post-punk gods of yesteryear, with production that matches the time and place. Lots to like, for sure—a little GANG OF FOUR, with a lot of WIRE. If Mark Perry sang for SWELL MAPS, this would be the sound. The music is provoking and doesn’t get stuck in the rut of parody while mixing electronic ambient breaks like “The Redactor” and “Machine Learning” throughout the record. Was a good listen.