We’ve been big fans of Team Horse, aka Belfast’s Greg Topley, since his debut EP ‘Here Come The Hurricane’ landed unheralded on our doormat back in the spring of 2010. He followed that up with the album ‘Children Of The Winter’ last year and now the insanely prolific Topley (he also records as The Foamboy Deluxe Arkestra and Shadow Valley) has delivered what we think is his finest work to date in the form of ‘The Gold Dust Twins’.
We were totally blown away (pun intended) by ‘Hurricane’ but when ‘Children’ came along, although we still enjoyed it, we felt some of the rawness, some of the downright filthiness that made the first record so special had been lost. Topley has clearly taken these comments on board because ‘The Gold Dust Twins’ is so visceral and dirty it’s practically obscene.
The first thing that slaps you in the face about this record is the beats. They are huge. Like massively huge and right up in your face. This is right back to the Lightning Bolt-esque assault of the first EP, an adrenaline fuelled charge right from the opening salvo of ‘Master Blaster’, with it’s almost Hip Hop backbeat, and ‘Colonel Hathi’s Stomp’ right through to ‘(FX)’ and the closing eight minute epic ‘Providence / Rhode Island’. Barely a breath is drawn from first to last.
Topley’s modus operandi is a simple one; drum machines provide the bedrock over which he plugs in a bass guitar and a bunch of crunchy pedals and basically goes apeshit. You might think that over ten tracks that might become tiresome but such is the man’s talent that this never happens, there is enough variety, often within one track, to keep the listener engaged all the way through.
Stand out moments are the aforementioned opener ‘Master Blaster’, a ravening monster of a tune and a real statement of intent for the rest of the record and one that will most certainly be getting played at our next DJ outing, the brilliantly titled ‘Throwing Acid Is Wrong In Some People’s Eyes’ which slows the pace somewhat but never the intensity and ‘Providence / Rhode Island’.
The latter is possibly the best thing Topley has created to date. Starting savagely in what I assume is the ‘Providence’ section then breaking down in the middle before segueing in to the startlingly beautiful ‘Rhode Island’ part, all the more striking for its contrast with all that has gone before. Just gorgeous.
‘The Gold Dust Twins’ is the soundtrack to a formerly promising artist blossoming in to fully fledged talent. Heartily recommended.
Available through Bandcamp from March 19 2012
