New York City has been home to countless numbers of bands that are all trying to one up their peers in the game of music. Thank god for the healthy competition. It really does bring out the best in those who try to squeeze as much individuality and originality out of their instruments and voices while still giving respectful nods to their forebears.
Case in point is Cause For Applause. In the span of just 11 minutes on their debut release, this trio from the Big Apple give their aural props to such performers as Pussy Galore and The Voidoids and stake their own claim as a fantastic new band. It may not be shockingly new, but there's enough of a fresh approach given to their swaggering beats and wiry guitars that will make you sit up and pay attention.
The first couple of spins of this EP are a bit of a stumper, as immediately it doesn't sound as if the vocals, guitar, and rhythm section are working together. The bass and drums are laying down a mean boho-beat, but skittering over the top is the guitar in all it's Snakefinger-like glory, seemingly with an agenda all its own. Then the vocals start (in all their Mark E. Smith/David Yow glory) pulled your ears in a completely different direction. You feel yourself thrashing your mind around trying to pull it all together. When you finally get a handle, those two and a half minutes worth of a song are up and the band are now going somewhere else. It's like taking a Kindergarten class to the zoo.
Subsequent listens, however, will bring it all into focus as you find yourself getting used to certain songs and the subtleties rise out of the chaos. The female backing vocals on 'The Wire' and 'Latest' that add a much needed jolt of warmth to those tracks' steely edge. The almost impressionistic drumming of former Boys Life member, John Anderson. The guitars that seem to channel everyone from Andy Gill to John Parish to Carrie Brownstein and can go from a rockabilly jump to a wall of noise in the span of one verse.
As silly as it might sound, the only problem with this disc is that it's woefully short. It is impressive what they can accomplish in a little over 11 minutes, but imagining what they could do with a full length disc is almost too giddy a prospect to consider.
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