However much your reviewer likes to buy into The Manics' theory about "rock'n'roll has a conscience", the initial idea of a hard-rockin' outfit from LA fuelled by the internet and CNN making it their manifesto to "wake the fuck up, start asking questions, don't keep your mouth shut" filled this reviewer with dread, as he envisaged the worst kind of chest-beating, point missing, Hollywood-style OTT metal-pop you could come across.
Fortunately, further examination of the evidence reveals that LIVING THINGS (for it is they we are discussing) originally hail from St.Louis, have been known to play gigs where they've pissed on photos of George Dubya and - crucially - have recorded their debut album "Black Skies In Broad Daylight" with everyone's favourite geeky deskmeister Steve Albini at the controls. They've also earned further cred points recently by supporting in vogue new lady pin-up Melissa Auf Der Maur on tour, all of which starts to balance the scales.
"I Owe" is the one from the forthcoming album that jumps around with a primary colour-daubed placard screaming "single! single!" and it's a decent slice of crunching, straight to the synapses riffing, taking in elements of both the recent(ish) garage rock explosion, AC/DC and - at a push - The Ramones in Dee Dee-penned social realism mode (circa "Too Tough To Die"). Its' anti- corporate message is impossible to deny (sample lyric: "I got a letter from the taxman - I owe/ I got a message from the President - I owe/ You disobey the constitution - you owe!" - OK, we get the idea) and it's presented with a surprisingly shiny chutzpah from Albini who also remembered to pack his trademark "In Utero" drum sound for the occasion. Sensible chap.
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Living Things, then, have got that loud guitar, angry/ anthemic balance just about right. They're a bit more mainstream than the kinda thing your reviwer would normally endorse, but they sound hungry enough and they'll do nicely. The midwest, as is often the case, speaks the truth.
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