When you name your band Termites you kind of set yourself up for some interesting comparisons. Imagine a band constantly gnawing away, chewing, destroying and carving up everything and being slightly creepy about it. Honestly that's not too far away from what this band's debut is all about. This band of Bristolians gnaw away at normal pop music conventions and twist things in their own special way rearranging and carving things up as they see fit.
Termites is a quirky record to say the least. While it's cleverly disguised under Britpop clothing and might distantly be related to Damon Albarn's more interesting noodling this is a record with an imaginative approach and an unusual set of songs. And yet, despite it's strangeness the songs are remarkably hooky and intriguing and the band seem to take joy in multiple time changes, direction changes, and songs that get your head spinning. If I had to pick a direct comparison I'd say the Super Furries or maybe even The Coral. This is a band that refuses to play by the rules and as a result they use just about everything at their disposal. There are so many kinds of sounds and riffs emanating from this record I feel as though a scorecard would help. While certain songs like, "Dumb Rock," are just straight ahead rock and roll tunes others like, "Ammo, " will have you scratching your head. I love the disjointedness of it all.
Bizarre and outside of the mainstream, Termites have built a record centered around the idea of thinking outside of the box is the only way to think. This is Britpop on acid and the soundtrack to one slowly going mad. The choppiness, odd time signatures, and off kilter melodies keep the record fascinating throughout and I couldn't pull myself away from these insects and what they were on about. Nice work that will probably give me nightmares...but that's OK.
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