Album review: Electric Eel Shock – Sugoi Indeed

Now, let’s get one thing totally straight – Electric Eel Shock are not a joke band. Sure, they’re silly; sure, they’re amusing. But they’re not a Japanese version of Bad News; they’re rock musicians first and foremost. The fact that their material is hilarious as well as well-played should be considered the icing on the cake. You might not get the gag, of course, which is fine (though I hope you understand that it does mean you have NO HEART BEATING IN YOUR COLD HOLLOW CHEST YOU MISERABLE BASTARD), but no one who’s seen them play can leave without taking a little Electric Eel Shock love along with them. The effect is muted on record, but still present – as demonstrated on their new release, Sugoi Indeed.

Electric Eel Shock have long been quietly cutting new ground in the field of band business models, and Sugoi Indeed is the result of their successful use of a much-mooted idea, the crowdsourced self-funding model. They managed to raise $50,000 (US, I presume) using the tools on sellaband.com… contributors presumably get some sort of free or cheap access to the final product; the rest of us have to pay as normal. But is it worth the price?

Well, I’d pay for a copy if I hadn’t been sent one already (and I’m making up for that by paying to see them play live next weekend, so nyah), and if you love hard rock and metal for their sound and groove, then I think you should too. Sugoi Indeed is powered by the straightforward approach of genre defining acts like AC/DC: chunky riff, catchy melody, shout-along vocal hook on the chorus, big-ass blues-rock solo, job’s a good ‘un. Veteran fans will notice that Electric Eel Shock are not playing up to the madcap wackiness so much this time out; it’s as if they wanted us to notice that they’re a great band in their own right. So listen; you’ll notice. The tone has changed a bit, though, with the production leaning more toward a contemporary desert rock meets thrash metal vibe, with Aki’s vocals going more for the throaty bellow than the manic shriek. It’s a wise choice; the understated production lets the musicianship and melody shine through.

Don’t despair, though – it wouldn’t be a proper Electric Eel Shock album without some grin-inducing hard-rock cliché fun, and the title track of Sugoi Indeed delivers in spades. And you’ve gotta love the song titles: anyone who opens an album with a tune called “Metal Man” deserves the mad props, “M.T.B.” is an ode to a mountain bike, and the inclusion of “No Shit Sherlock” is worth the price of admission on its own. Electric Eel Shock love metal enough to know what’s daft about it, but their send-up is also a celebration; you’re always laughing with them rather than at them… and if you’re not laughing at all, then you’re dead inside. I’m sorry, but it’s true.