MISS WYOMING - Trailer Park

10 songs
35:54 minutes
***** ****
(DIY)

Bandpage

I seem to be one of the semi-literate people who limited Douglas Coupland's work solely on "Generation X", a statement that impregnated the last decade like nothing else. Apparently his seventh novel "Miss Wyoming" seems to be influential too, because this year I have already had the honour to meet two bands by that name.

The German-English one has been reviewed elsewhere on this site, so let's concentrate on this Dutch four-piece. The album title Trailer Park has already a very distinguished American feeling to it, and that's why you shouldn't be surprised to hear East Coast proto punk on this release. As if everything 1967 Velvet Underground to 1977 Television has been thrown together in a melting pot, with a touch of modern production, and a lot of street-wise attitude, to come up with one of the most refreshing newcomer albums this year.

The album starts with the great up-tempo Day Of The Locust, takes no prisoners on the following Track Marks, before slowing down a bit with Clear Fence. From there on it's mostly fast guitar rock, produced in a very raw but even more charming way. Anymore hints at Eastern folk sounds. So all in all, you get a very homogenous album that isn't afraid of sonic experiments. And to make this CD really good, you'll have with Pascal Hallibert a truly outstanding vocalist whose unpolished voice sounds as if he had to suffer quite a bit in his time.

To get this CD, you'll have to pay a visit to the band's homepage, but if you like the bands and styles mentioned before, you shouldn't hesitate a second to purchase this excellent debut.