By DJ Monk
Every time I listen to a band with only two members, it always never ceases to amaze me how just a pair of people can make such a BIG noise. Walls of sound that actually make proper brick walls vibrate with their power and punch, belying the fact that there are just two people – the smallest working unit possible (outside of a solo artist, of course) – responsible for the vibrations and massive sounds. The latest name you can add to the ever-growing list of duos responsible for such feats are Swiss two-man army The Hydden, who have just dropped this, their second album, like a huge slab of reinforced concrete being bounced off your big toe.
They set out their stall right from the opening heavy-ass bass drum beat of ‘For Those Who Play’, the dense thrum of the rhythm exploding into the light of a mischievous riff, which toys with you more effectively than a Marvel movie trailer, spinning you into its web of dank delight as the guitar swirls like a headbanging Hydra, the drums pound like a beleaguered heavyweight fighting for his career and the vocals snarl with the curl of a cornered wolf.
There are multifarious influences very obviously in the ballpark here, from Muse and the Manics, through stoner and grunge to down tuned heavy blues to out and out classic rock lickings. ‘Changing Symmetry’, for example, sounds like Matt Bellamy in one of his more “fuck you leave me alone” moods, while ‘Pretty Liar’ kicks in with a very heavy QOTSA-meets-Foos vibe, with more than a nodding reference to the mighty ZZ Top in the lead-in and bridge sections and pre- and post-chorus parts: hell, if Billy Gibbons was to jam with Nick Oliveri (on one of his pissed off nights) and Jared Leto, they might wind up laying down something close to this…
‘Vagabond Songs’ also displays a very innate sense of lyrical accuracy, with some totally brilliant lines which tear and wrench while at the same time invoking a wry smile of recognition: “let the darkness take you gently” intones Roger Hämmerli, before countermanding it with “don’t let the darkness take your soul” in the sort of beautiful contradiction which summarizes this album both lyrically and musically, as different miens and themes cascade and bounce off one another with an alacrity which should not work but, dammit, does.
‘Vagabond Songs’ is a rich and vibrant collection. One which appeals on multiple levels, whether it be the dense blues which pierces its way into the deepest recesses of your blackened soul, or the joyous sense of celebration brought about by knowing that rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well and, while not necessarily breaking new ground, safe in the hands of practised practitioners such as The Hydden. Hopefully for them they won’t be keeping their talents hyden (sic) under a Swiss bush for too much longer.
- ‘Vagabond Songs’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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