Twisted - Plastic Section (Outtaspace)
Two salient points need to be made:
If you're going to tap a source, go back to the original.
And there ain’t nothing plastic about this Melbourne trio's sound.
Think Flat Duo Jets, the early White Stripes, Link Wray & The Raymen and BBQ to name a few. While you're at it, you can throw in that catch-all descriptor "Crampsian". In a big way...
Referencing the Cramps may seem lazy for bands and critics alike, but they were an all pervading influence in Australia in the '80s. Reality is that when you have the same obsessions/reverence for the off-the-wall sounds of the '50s and '60s as Lux and Ivy, the lines get extremely blurry. "Haunted" is a case in point and is as close to the Cramps as any contemporary band gets. The two Link Wray covers here ("Right Turn" and the supersonic "Remember The Twist") say as much about what's going on in Plastic Section's world.
The real point is it all leads back to rock and roll's mid-20th Century roots but let's not get hung up on who did it first. The Cramps stole plenty, but regurgitated the best of it at a time that was right.
This is the second long-player for Plastic Section and their vinyl LP debut, and it stays true to their reverb-drenched, rockabilly-swathed, ‘50s switchblade sound. Ben Edwards (vocals and guitar) continues to plunder the sounds of rock and roll's past with Pip McMullan on bass and they're joined by newcomer Sue Shaw on drums.
There's nothing new about the sound but, fuck me, it's infectious. "Twisted" is 12 songs, none of them much longer than two minutes apiece, and played raw and wildly. Vocalist-guitarist Edwards shouts and delivers, plays some caustic guitar and the engine room locks in.
The eight easily originals match stride with the covers, the identity of which only true record collector scum would know. Tell the truth. Would you have known "She's The One That's Got It" was an Allen Paige song from 1958?
If you appreciate where Plastic Section is coming from, this shit is The Shit. Play it back-to-back with anything by The Breadmakers and tell me I'm wrong.
Recorded in a day, Rocket Science's Paul Maybury has imbued "Twisted" with that authentic garage sound and there's no better ear to master this stuff than Loki Lockwood at Spooky Manor. It's an LP only but packaged nicely, so make a beeline for Outtaspace's shop if this goo goo muck be your poison.
