Crocodiles
Summer Of Hate
Fat Possum
The days of getting into new bands by the thank you's in the liner notes of a record are sadly long gone, as bittorrent downloads don't come with such added details, but the ever increasing ripples of excitement that are emanating from this band have largely originated from the fact that No Age included their self released 7" Neon Jesus in their Top Ten Songs of 2008.
The fact that No Age mentioned them in the first place is in itself quite misleading. Crocodiles are pretty scuzzy with ample feedback and effects permeating through each note but their adherence to pop sensibilities remove them quite considerably from the brand of noise punk that No Age craft. Long time friends Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez hail from sunny San Diego and I guess Summer Of Hate emerges from an alternative and less glamorous Californian life that is filtered over to us here, a life of hum drum days and bored teenagers. So as a result you get an album drenched in hazy sunshine but dripping with grime. I say 'dripping with grime' but this may be a slight exaggeration. One scratch at this greasy surface and a gleaming pop structure reveals itself below. In fact, without even scratching another structure reveals itself, that of The Jesus And Mary Chain. I Wanna Kill, an extremely catchy piece of scuzz pop, is built almost entirely on the frame work of Head On, the same drum beats and a hook that follows the 80's hit to the letter. But instead of holding this against them, the song and the rest of the record is so satisfying that I find myself carrying on regardless. Soft Skull (In My Room) is a damn near perfect blend of dub rock and art-punk madness.
The record can be divided quite equally into two types of approach, that of the afore mentioned spiky pounders and the tripped out atmospherics of songs like Here Comes The Sky and the title track which swirls around like a modern day Velvets submerging the distant vocals in layer upon layer of effect laden melodies. There's enough of a blend of 80's synth beats and very contemporary punk rock grit to make this much more than a cheap rehash. It has a refreshingly different agenda than a lot of the noise pop acts around at the moment. It isn't very noisy and it doesn't aim to pummel you but rather seethes with tension and anxiety. Though Crocodiles at times seem to be hovering tentatively on the fringes of the noise punk sound as if not quite confident enough to dive headlong in their decision to keep an eye on melody make this a familiar yet rewarding listen.
28th May 2009 - Tumblr
3News
Reviews
Articles
Surveillance
Related
On the Rocks
Unsurprisingly slight, but the one thread of plot is held together by an enjoyable Bill Murray.
21st Nov 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsSearch
Richard Jewell
Incredibly straightforward Clint drama, anchored by some great central performances.
10th Nov 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsThe Witches
Not exactly imaginative re-imagining, but it gets the job done in the right spirit.
1st Nov 2020
Read more 3 star reviews1917
Ambitious, stagey epic. Plenty of tropes and it falls in all the usual 1-take potholes.
27th Oct 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsA Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Thoughtful, stylish drama with a zen central performance.
17th Oct 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsWho Framed Roger Rabbit
Stiff, poorly paced innovative film that hasn’t aged well.
11th Oct 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsOnward
Inspiring, tightly scripted gem - overlooked by lockdown.
4th Oct 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsThe Informer
Standard-issue airplane movie, with Joel Kinnaman standing in for Vin Diesel.
3rd Oct 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsMotherless Brooklyn
Sub LA Confidential gumshoe thriller - with an underplayed USP. Ed Norton misses again.
27th Sep 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsGlass
Over explained threequel, that undermines a low key original.
18th Sep 2020
Read more 2.5 star reviewsSnowpiercer
Intriguing, but generally incomprehensible sci-fi gobbledegook.
31st Aug 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsJumani
The Next Level
Marginally less fun sequel, but still plenty of laughs.
16th Aug 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Deer Hunter
Beautifully imagined and lovingly restored, but it still alternates between a snail's pace and feeling like a trailer edit.
12th Aug 2020
Read more 4 star reviews21 Bridges
Surprisingly enjoyable plane movie, though it owes a lot to the magnificent Copland.
8th Aug 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsAd Astra
Incredibly stylish and wannabe cerebral sci-fi, that’s ultimately a little thin.
19th Jul 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsFirst Man
Underwhelming space drama that’s a bit too intimate and not very epic.
5th Jul 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsBlue Story
Dire, tension-free postcode gang drama. Just add drama.
21st Jun 2020
Read more 1 star reviewsApollo 11
Magnificent documentary, re-assembling the moon landing from beautifully remastered footage.
14th Jun 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsOnce Upon A Time In Hollywood
The 8th slow-paced Tarantino pic. Literally half entertaining / boring.
24th May 2020
Read more 2.5 star reviewsYesterday
Entertaining Brit-com, though it’s a bit on-the-beaten-path for Danny Boyle.
13th Apr 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsJuliet, Naked
Mildly enjoyable, thoroughly forgettable Nick Hornby pic ...once you get past the contrived set up.
4th Apr 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Lion King
Impeccably realised remake, but it’s emotionally flat.
15th Mar 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsGalveston
Standard festival thriller, with some style and decent moments - but it’s all a bit thin.
10th Mar 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsAlladin
Surprisingly enjoyable, Guy Ritchie-fied Disney remake.
10th Mar 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsMapplethorpe
Cookie cutter biography that could literally have been written from his Wikipedia page.
7th Mar 2020
Read more 1.5 star reviewsHorse Girl
Text book indie, literally days out of Sundance. Interesting until it gets a bit too wacky.
9th Feb 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsPhantom Thread
Considered character study that strays into pretentiousness here and there.
25th Jan 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsRocketman
Enthusiasticly directed sequence of unrelated musical set pieces.
31st Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsAvengers
Endgame
Yet another biggest-battle-yet, with more than a passing nod to BTTF2.
30th Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsMystify
Michael Hutchence
Thoughtfully assembled montage doc.
30th Dec 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsCaptain Marvel
Decent origin story, with charm and some 90s nostalgia.
27th Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsStar Wars
The Rise of Skywalker
Freestyle bouillabaisse with all the ingredients, but no chef.
27th Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsMarriage Story
Quintessential indie movie ...funded by Netflix. Great perfs, lovely camera work and solid direction.
22nd Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsWidows
Superior modern thriller. Smart script and accomplished direction.
15th Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsThe Irishman
Long, slow, thoroughly enjoyable loose jam through Scorsese/DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci/Keitel’s greatest hits.
2nd Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsJoker
Batman via Scorsese, in impeccably art directed, neatly packaged origin story.
28th Nov 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsFrozen 2
Surprisingly strong sequel that gets going after a convoluted start.
24th Nov 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Mule
Casual drama from Clint Eastwood, with the man himself anchoring things through a charming turn.
16th Nov 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsThe King
Luscious period drama. Beautifully put together - like Wolf Hall+.
3rd Nov 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsEl Camino
Throw away Breaking Bad expansion piece with little tension or jeopardy.
13th Oct 2019
Read more 2.5 star reviewsVice
Stylish but incoherent Cheney biopic, hampered by another one-note turn from Bale.
5th Oct 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsBohemian Rhapsody
Mind numbingingly basic biopic, saved by the nostalgia for the music and moments.
5th Oct 2019
Read more 2 star reviewsMinding the Gap
Interesting doc following the lives of 3 teens becoming adults, tied together by skateboarding.
28th Sep 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsManchester by the Sea
Painful, occasionally uplifting viewing with a grief stricken central performance.
28th Sep 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsSpider-Man
Into the Spider-Verse
Stylish, trippy concept animated superhero flick with some great moments.
21st Sep 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsDora & the Lost City of Gold
Young adult upgrade, with just enough Conchords humour to keep it enjoyable.
22nd Aug 2019
Read more 2.5 star reviews