Shield Your Eyes - S/T - Album Review

Shield Your Eyes – S/T Debut LP
Available now on vinyl and CD from the band’s website.


I spent my first Friday off in a long time doing little other than looking on the internet for some new music that I might like. For nostalgia’s sake I looked to see if Skin Graft or Touch and Go had released anything lately that might point towards some exciting guitar-based rock music. Dischord, Load records and even some trusted online fanzines and record shops threw up little of interest and I began to give up hope. Little did I know that in the recesses of my back yard, left by the postie the day before and fast becoming damp, was a copy of Shield Your Eye’s debut album on vinyl that would have satiated my cravings and then some.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing London’s Shield Your Eye’s in either recorded or live format as yet then allow me to do them some injustice: they are a power-trio in the best sense of the term. Stef’s guitar work is as inventive and mesmerising as it is emotive and tasteful, Toby’s bass playing both melodic and driving, and Henri’s jaw-loosening drumming has the planned precision that keeps young men and women worshiping better known but no less deserving acts like Battles or Don Caballero.

The music they play is a distinctive, exhilarating mash of styles taking in the mathy hardcore of Melt Banana, raucous energetics of Pink and Brown or Coachwhips and the craftsmanship and pin-point execution of Shellac, Karate or Pinback. The fact that I’m reminded of such a heady cocktail of personally significant bands whilst listening to the album can only be to Shield Your Eyes’ credit. On top of this stunning instrumentality the lyrics and vocal delivery advance a strong heritage of sincere and emotive British post-hardcore that harks back to the days when emo wasn’t such a dirty word. Bands like Spy Vs Spy, Bob Tilton and Wolves of Greece, had they stuck with it and retained their sense of urgency and contemporariness, could have hoped to sound something like the superb album Shield Your Eyes have produced in 2008.

Well recorded, perfectly paced and released their fucking selves this album has truly restored my faith in the sphere of guitar-based rock music whether it be American, British, DIY or otherwise. If there’s a better release this year then I will eat my disease-incubating rusting aluminium guitar.

Buy it from http://www.myspace.com/leavethetapesrunning

Andy Abbott