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Made up of three Norwegians and one American, The Disciplines
sound more native to Brit-rock's T. Rex and The Kooks
than anyone from their homelands. The quartet puts a contemporary
finish on classic garage rock tunage for their latest recording Smoking
Kills. With meaty guitar chunks flailing about like the embers
of a bonfire cradled in form-fitted slings of bass swells, The Disciplines
stuff their songs with fever-pitch flurries and soft, smoldering thrusts
that show muscle in the band's chord movements. Gristled by steamrolling
drum kicks, Smoking Kills has a stylistic flare that is reminiscent
of The Blue Van's raw edges and The Redwalls' folksy
momentum. The Disciplines generate a communal feel in their songs
laden with vintage rock hooks and seared by puncturing drum strikes
like Wolfmother. The band plays rock 'n' roll in a pure fashion
that is suited to the likes of '70s rockers and inspiring to the musicians
of a modern age.
The spirited thrusts in "Yours For The Taking" and "Get
It Right" garner an animalistic pulse with rugged guitar shavings
that share common traits with The Kooks. The melodic sequencing of
"Wrong Lane" is molded with lightly puckered chords sutured
to phrases with elongated swells on the declines, while the blazing
guitar riffs of "Falling Knives" keep the track elevated
and racing at a fever rate. The heady drum kicks in "Hurricane"
are smoldering, and the folksy nickeling on "I Got Tired"
give the classic rock engineering in the track muscle in its horsepower.
The jangly tambourine beats of "No Vacancy" provide an upbeat
feel, and the fiery strokes of "Cause Or FX' are laden with vintage
rock chops. The one rock ballad "Oslo" has melodic sparks
with a candlelit glow that ruminates with a gentle musing about the
Norwegian city, but "Best Mistake" brings out the band's
most choicest classic rock bites.
The band's lyrics in "Best Mistake" have sexual innuendos
that create a flirtatious atmosphere with verses like "Now I
want to go where the wild things are… I want to burn my wheels
on your hot, black tar / I'm on my way down a road less traveled /
I'm on my way to a mystery unraveled / This could be the best mistake
/ That you ever make / So come on and take my hand, girl / You don't
need to be afraid… I want to sink my teeth in the prey that I
stalk… When the lights go out / You and I go in where the wild
things are."
The lyrics might be geared to attract the ladies, but the garage
rock texture and muscle-bound chord movements are loaded with substance
that will appeal to guys. Smoking Kills recalls a time when
pure rock was cool, and The Disciplines give it a contemporary sheen
that makes it attractive.
-Susan Frances
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