Album #2 from Melbourne, Australia’s ECSR, and another fine, fine collection of stripped down and basic raw hook laden PunknRoll from these fellas.
Opening number “Memory Lane” is loaded with the kinda simplistic and disconnected swagger and attitude that The Stooges dreamed up in Ann Arbor all those decades ago, and the likes of The Saints and Radio Birdman tapped in to in the mid-Seventies. Clearly, nothing new then about Australian bands being influenced by Iggy and the boys, but the ECSR have taken a well worn formula and given it a super-fresh injection, and produce mighty joyous and incredibly catchy music.
And whilst their debut LP had a slightly more Garage vibe to it, “Primary Colours” is loaded with a darker artier edge, with Wire getting a lot of reference. No bad thing, you’ll agree. I’ve had a copy of “Primary Colours” pretty much glued to my turntable for almost a week now, and it sounds better, and better on each consecutive spin.
It’s no wonder Eddy Current are such a hit at home, with their concerts and limited run records selling out instantaneously. Their popularity (including a recent run of supports to Devo) is clearly an issue of debate though with a buncha guys from the punk underground, which gets questioned in “Which Way to Go”… “and I weighed up the positives, and compared them to the negatives”. There’s no doubt in my eyes they could be huge, but as Bon Scott lamented… “I tell you folks, it’s harder than it looks”
Pete Craven