Shame - "Songs Of Praise"

Well hey, this is one review that honestly caught me off guard.  Honestly, I really don't know much about England's Shame.  But I saw this album artwork starting to float around the internet, and I couldn't really tell what to make of it.  But then I saw in some forums that people were seriously hyping up this LP.  So I checked out these singles and boy HOWDY, let me tell you.  These boys can PLAY.  Shame have that gritty, British Punk edge that I've been dying to hear for a while.  These opening singles have been hard-hitting and grimy in all the best ways.  Let's chat about Shame's debut album.

This album starts off with “Dust On Trial”, and right off the bat, I love the way Shame are building tension immediately (even if they’re only really using acoustic guitars).  It works really well though because as soon as those very ominous, twisted guitars and ridiculous vocals pop in, this one quickly becomes a Post Punk pressure cooker.  All of a sudden, vocalist Charlie Steen is getting in these gruesome and pissed off one-liners.  The band surrounding him make up this almost swirl of Post Punk greatness, making for one hell of an opener.  Its intense, thunderous, and Charlie’s performance is already one for the record books.  Some of his deeper vocals really get inside your head, and between that and the siren blaring in the back, this one is stunning.  Now, this album really does read like a Greatest Hits of Post Punk, with “Concrete” up next being much more instantaneous with no real build.  No, this one is just one release after wonderful release.  The vocals here are absolutely insane, going back and forth between Charlie’s aggressive vocals in front with some backing vocals that almost come off as some crazed conscience.   The guitars are soaring, and for a Post Punk t, ne I love that “Concrete” isn’t taking the same sort of dreary approach.  It’s just as intense though, and I love how Shame are really bringing back the Punk in Post Punk.  The attitude of this one is fierce, and Shame are quickly showing that they may not necessarily be reinventing the wheel of Post Punk, but man do they ever have an amazing sound.  “One Rizla” is up next, and this one on the other hand has a much more grand sense to it within these soaring guitars which almost have a New Wave style to them.  But on top of that, this one is pummeling as far as lyrics go.  I wouldn’t say these are as aggressive, because nothing about this track is aggressive.  But the self hatred and portrait of the modern British Punk singer here is a welcome change.  It’s a grimy tune in a lot of ways, that adds some well needed melody to the album.  It’s also intense though in it’s own way.  But most importantly, “One Rizla” shows that Shame is much more than just aggressive blasts of Punk energy.  “The Lick” up next though is a real treat.  In true classic Post Punk fashion, this one is incredibly sexual.  But in a completely different way seemingly.  Like, there’s such a sense of danger in Charlie’s performance, he sounds like such a creep and a predator.  The instrumentals behind him are this brilliant, bubbling, tension-filled master class in Post Punk, but Charlier from start to finish is the star.  I love the way he comes off so magic here, as he goes off on everything from Gynecologists to iPod’s.  In a way, this almost comes off like something Sleaford Mods would do.  But of course, it’s shinier and a little more cleanly produced.  Overall, I still have yet to find anything about this album that I hate.  The slow-paced, tension-filled instrumentals, as well as Charlie’s crazed performances are fantastic.  Not to mention, I would love to hear more slow tunes like “The Lick”.
    This album pummels on with “Tasteless”, which in a bizarre way almost has a dance groove to it.  Hell, it almost reminds me of something from The Clash’s later years.  This one once again isn’t as grim or destructive.  But it shows that Post Punk just has so much to offer at this point in Rock.  I love the punchy guitars and Charlie’s determined performance which still comes off pretty damn out of control.  The instrumentals just keep spiraling off the hinges, and I absolutely adore the repeated “I like you better when you’re not around” chorus.  It’s so catchy, and in a lot of ways is a really great start if you’re not usually into this grimy Post Punk revival.  On the other hand, moments like “Donk” really show that Shame can play with the big boys of this genre.  This is one of the more straightforward and heavy tunes on here.  It almost has some elements of Hardcore.   But Charlie’s very manic performance once again really takes this to the next level.  It’s a short tune, but “Donk” is intense and really shows that Shame truly mean business.  Not to mention, I just love Charlie’s very pained screams.   On the other hand, “Gold Hole” surprisingly takes a much rougher and determined sound.  Shame has a real knack for taking these fairly simple tunes and stringing them into 4-minute tunes seamlessly.  This one though is special.  The verses here are just so great at building tension, so much so that when the chorus of “SHAKE ME UP” hits, it’s downright thrilling.  “Gold Hole” is a filthy track that you know will kick your fucking teeth out, but at the same time, this one just seems so well produced and “new” sounding.  It’s intense, brutal, grimy, and literally, has me salivating for whatever Shame will do next.  It’s thrilling right to the very last blast of energy.  “Friction” up next brings back the sort of groove that we heard earlier.  But Charlie’s performance here makes this come off like its own animal.  He doesn’t sound nearly as aggressive here, as a matter of fact, I love his more clever and introspective lyrics on this one.  Shame really is offering up a long line of very different Post Punk jams.  “Friction” is certainly one of the more sophisticated tunes here, and it does sound great.  Even the chorus on this one is much classier, but it’s fantastic.  But, I do have to to say, as far as tunes like this go, I would get how some fans of current Post Punk would think this is maybe a little too polished.
    Now, I honestly don’t have too many bad things to say about this album, it’s probably going to end up being Post Punk album of the year.  But, if I had to choose one tune I really wasn’t that into, it would be “Lampoon”.  There have been heavy tunes here, but this one just seems a little rushed and thrown together at the last minute as a last-ditch effort to retain some real heaviness.  Not to mention, it seems a little flimsy, and I’m not sure how much I dig Charlie’s more wordy performances up against these intense instrumentals.   Shame though to slow it down big for the album’s finale, “Angie”.  This one is a slow burner done the best way, with Charlie’s performance being just so cool that it ends up really getting inside your head.  The pacing on this one is key though, and I really love how Shame is slowing it down to even bring in some Indie Rock elements.  None of this one seems rushed, and “Angie” ends up coming off really interesting. It’s somber in tone, with a lot of these lyrics coming off as seriously heartbreaking.  Shame does a great job wrapping up this album, and even though this track is over 7 minutes, it rolls along nicely and never seems drawn out.


Rating: 8.6/10


Give A Listen To: “Dust On Trial”, “Concrete”, “Tasteless”, “Gold Hole”


Genre: Post Punk / Punk Rock / Post-Hardcore


Overall Thoughts:  Shame here on this album come off like a tea kettle that's been on the stove for too damn long, ready to explode at any moment.  While we really are in a sort of Post-Punk renaissance, Shame seems well ahead of the game.  The material here, while it's very cleanly produced, often comes off with the sort of rough edge that British Punk greats are known for.  The performances are all tight, no matter what style of Post Punk they go for.  Some of the tracks here are tasteful throwbacks to the genres earliest days, with other moments rocketing towards the future.  No matter what your cup of tea is in the Punk world, you're going to find it here.  And even if Shame doesn't really do anything fantastically new with these sounds, do they ever sound good with it anyway.