There’s a great sense of unease that I get when first playing The Hickey Underworld’s latest album, ‘I’m Under The House, I’m Dying.’ Firstly, what is that band name all about? The band is Belgian but even a dodgy Google translation mishap does not explain such an incoherent mess of a name. There is also a sense of unease that this album is just not my cup of tea: sleazy, rocky, riffs in the style of a poor man’s Guns ‘N’ Roses (so, Velvet Revolver then) characterise the album and despite some stand out moments, this is an album that never really captures the imagination in a significant way.
This album is riff-tastic, a riffy mess of riffing riffness (there’s a lot of riffs) with tracks like ‘Whistling’ and ‘Thierry’ piling the riffage on us until we can take no more riffs. There have been a lot of comparisons of The Hickey Underworld to The Mars Volta and this is not misplaced here, with powerful but intellectual tracks like ‘The Frog’ ably supporting the association. There is also a hint of early Muse here too, with the ambition of Matt Bellamy and Co definitely mirrored on tracks like ‘Cold Embrace.’
There are grundgy moments on the album too, with tracks like ‘Year of the Rat’ providing a gloomy and brooding moment. It is one of the highlights of the album, a track with real character. It is here The Hickey Underworld begin to sound a bit like HIM in their ‘Love Metal’ phase, never a bad thing in this reviewer’s opinion.
There are mellower moments, like ‘Martian’s Cave’ and this does break the album up a bit, offering another side to the band’s output. Whilst I appreciate this, there is again a lack of killer song writing ability here that leaves this album more frustrating than fruitful.
Despite musical proficiency, this is an album that just didn’t agree with any of my senses. I can see there is an appeal here and I can even understand why someone might actively seek out and enjoy this album; it just doesn’t click with my ears. The tracks are mildly catchy and some moments stand out more than others, but this is overall an album that does not deliver the knockout blow. Earlier comparisons to The Mars Volta fall flat as it lacks that all-encompassing killer riff or “wow” moment. This should definitely be sought out if opulent alt-rock appeals but avoided if not.
3/5
‘I’m Under The House, I’m Dying’ by The Hickey Underworld is out now on Play It Again Sam.
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Words by Tom White (@whiteywitters)
