A Fistful Of Doo-Riffs starts with one hell of a bang. It's the new record from The Drab Doo-Riffs and it is every bit as boisterous and belligerent as you could want. ‘Theme from A Fistful Of Doo-Riffs’ is a wacky snippet of Wild West rodeo which suits the album’s theme perfectly. The rest of the EP is filled with the sort of scrappy blues punk that we have come to expect from The Drab Doo-Riffs. The hard hitting songs come in thick and fast, with eight songs (including an intro and outro track) being blasted out in under 16 minutes.
Tracks like ‘I’m Depressed’ have some serious sing-along potential. I for one have never heard a song about depression sound so damned happy. ‘Juggernaut’, functioning as the EP’s “single”, is as unstoppable as the name implies but not nearly as heavy or mechanical. The beautiful soul-stirring harmonica that peppers the album is an instrument that the band employs exceptionally well. It’s a musical motif from a bygone era dragged screaming into the 21st century. ‘Lunatic Fringe’ is a song that the band has been playing live a lot this year and sounds superb here. Some of the tracks are peppy little punk numbers but are still delivered with the Doo Riffs customary sweet and sour approach to music. ‘Pour Vous’ jangles away pleasantly and Scraps sounds like The Clash but with a Pixies inspired vocal interplay. On the other hand ‘Garden City Baby’ is a ragged rockabilly song with a belly full of fire. It has that classic Johnny Cash “boom-chicka-boom” sound and some dastardly surf guitar skills on display. And just like that The Drab Doo-Riffs ride off into the sunset with a triumphant reprise of their theme song.
For anyone who has seen one of their explosive live performances, one of the best things about listening to The Drab Doo-Riffs on CD is that you can picture them playing the songs. Just try and get through this EP without imagining singer Karl Steven twitching and palpitating between lines. Their recorded work has the same unkempt energy that the band brings with them to the stage. It is not too different from their Postcards From Uranus EP but that is no bad thing. This is a classy effort all around that serves as a short but tasty snapshot of where the band are at these days. If you dig their quirky, groovy style then get your teeth into A Fistful Of Doo-Riffs.
