Snakerattlers: This Is Rattlerock [Album Review]

Let’s get one thing clear from the off – I don’t know a fucking thing about rockabilly music. I don’t know a right lot about garage music either, so there won’t be too many words here about where it seems like Snakerattlers have drawn their influences from. Their promo video calls them dark rock n roll, and that’s good enough for me. The important thing here is that we’ve got an album with ten cracking songs on, so it doesn’t matter what pigeon-hole you want to try and force them into.

I’ve known Dan & Naomi Gott for many years now, following their musical career together from it’s daft origins as geek-punk comedy giants Sky Rocket Jack through one of the best bands to ever come out of York, The Franceens, and now onto Snakerattlers. This is quite different to The Franceens, but it definitely seems like a natural progression, although there is a clear nod back to the previous sound on Sweet Sixteen.

Sweet Sixteen, infact, is probably the best song on the album. While it’s deeply rooted in the garage rock n roll sounds that drew most people to these two in the first place, it doesn’t sound out of place on this album. It’s the perfect link song for old fans and new. Rattlerock Rumble is another highlight; largely instrumental, the riff is a defining sound which really encapsulates what this band is all about, as the name might suggest.

Whilst my knowledge of this sound is admittedly limited, I do believe that Snakerattlers have really carved out something quite unique here. Combining the simple, stripped back drumkit, a guitar which, excuse the pun, really rattles your eardrums and howling vocals capable of striking fear into the most hardened listener, this is a combination of sounds that haven’t been heard before. Not quite like this anyway.

Often when you hear an album it’s interesting to listen and imagine how an idea has come into the studio and the overall sound has been built up and altered over time resulting in the final thing that gets released. When you listen to this album though, you don’t get that feeling. This dark, trashy noise gives you the feeling that the raw idea that started Dan & Naomi’s head hasn’t changed much, and they’ve laid down each song exactly as it initially sounded. If it were possible to plug recording equipment straight into their brain, this would be the result. It’s backed up by the fact that a lot of the songs clock in under two minutes long. There’s no bullshit. Nothing is dragged out. Nothing has been padded out with mediocrity. There’s absolutely no compromise – Snakerattlers wanted to make a record, and they’ve made that record exactly how they wanted.

The album is available now through Moon Skull Records. Do yourself a favour and go and buy it at once.