Steel Pole Bath Tub
Scars From Falling Down (Slash/London)
by Marc Hirsh
Steel Pole Bath Tub
Scars From Falling Down (Slash/London)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in the Public News, May 31, 1995
The traditional power trio consists of guitar, bass and drums, a band format that dates back to Cream, in which Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker set down the rules for the most basic setup for rock music (those who say the Who was a power trio with a singer, and therefore the first, completely miss the point). Even with synthesizers that allow the Vince Clarkes of the world to be one-man bands, guitar-bass-drums is the bottom line that most bands have to accept.
Although they fit in this category, noise band Steel Pole Bath Tub pushes the edges a little more than most, avoiding some of the format's cliches in the process. Most of the tracks on Scars From Falling Down aim for textural, rather than musical, payoffs. Overdubs notwithstanding, the instruments play off each other to fill in the cracks in music, leaving just enough space for an edge to remain. This may be the heaviest shoegazer band in the world.
They also avoid the temptation to slam into dischord at the drop of a hat. Too many bands look to attain tension only by assaulting the ears with arhythmic, amelodic music, a tactic which, when done badly, fails miserably. Steel Pole eschews that direction as well as the ultra-minor chords of too much heavy metal, choosing instead to take the time and energy to develop strong melodies around their slabs of noise.
"The 500 Club" starts things off promisingly with a heavy dirge of moderate speed, and most of the album delivers. The Jane's Addiction-like "Twist" and the organ-driven "Friday" are exceptionally strong (even if they eschew the trio format by adding extra instruments). Even the rhythm-fest of "Four Barrels" works, and Ginger Baker, the guy partly responsible for writing the rules, still can't get people to give him a break for "Toad."
Scars isn't perfect. The members of Steel Pole need to polish their songwriting skills a bit more before they can fully shine. Still, coupled with the band's Tragedy Ecstasy Doom and So On double 7-inch (featuring two songs from the album alongside "Alice" and "I Want It Now"), the album shows that there are still new directions open to a thirty year-old band format.