Rating: NNNN
Despite leaving Paper Bag Records and losing a member to Broken Social Scene, Uncut’s long-awaited third album is everything holdout diehard fans have been hoping for from these acclaimed local guitar rockers. Strong from start to finish, the album picks up right where the hard-charging, eardrum-rattling quartet left off seven years ago, combining the shimmering strands of the early 90s indie rock they explored on their 2006 sophomore, Modern Currencies, with the urgent post-punk noir of their 2004 debut, Those Who Were Hung Hang Here.
Drummer Jon Drew returns for production duties, and as his credits on Fucked Up and Tokyo Police Club records attest, he’s an expert at making loud rock sound full, clean and crisp. Moments like the wistful and slow-building anthem All Hands, the ominous energy on Two Moons and the soaring chorus on Thieves Watch signal slightly new directions, while Older By The Line and Washed Out capture classic Uncut with complex drums, fuzzed-out bass, shouted vocals and driving stabs of melodic guitars. Now, how about some shows?
Top track: Stay Gold
