Like A Stuntman: Stan Places
Highpoint Lowlife

Frankfurt-based Like A Stuntman (Christian, Sven, Matthias, Tobias) follows up its memorable 2005 Highpoint Lowlife full-length Fresh Air Is Not The Worst Thing In Town with Stan Places, a six-track 10-inch release. The band's lo-fi sound hasn't radically changed in the interim though that's no cause for complaint as fans of the album will cotton to the new material just as much. Thankfully, the group hasn't lost its raw and rough-hewn attack and, as before, deploys a mini-arsenal of old and new instruments (guitars, drums, bass, synthesizers, sampler, drum computer, harmonica, etc.) to augment the drawling vocals in its eccentric songs. The lulling leanings of “The Slow Lane” are subverted by dissonant guitar snarls while the rollicking “Hairy Diamond Breasts” includes Like A Stuntman's off-kilter attempt at funk. On the second side, bleating woodwinds lend a carnival atmosphere to the burbling propulsion of the lower-cased “Porsches on their way home.” Some new wrinkles in the band's sound do emerge along the way, however. “Panama is where exclusive,” for example, might be the most placid tune the band has yet recorded. Listening to Stan Places, it becomes immediately obvious that, if ever there was a perfect pairing for a double-bill tour, Like A Stuntman and Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys are clearly a noise-pop match made in heaven.

July 2006