Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Cowtown

Pine Cone Express

Label: Golden Lab/Chinchilla/On The Bone Release Date: 19/11/2007

29577
ssssamuel by zzzzzz zzzzzz November 23rd, 2007

Cowtown are the soundtrack to your downfall, a haunting descent into a psychotic trench with four cretins rubbing salt on your wounds and breaking your already depleted spirits.

Slowly though, this plight gains a comfort, cider to numb the pain of the weeping sores and gallons of soft drink down your gullet to place you in a state of sugar-soaked derangement. As this idle bliss takes hold Pine Cone Express gains a compulsive quality as its frenetically spiralling waves of no-wave lap at your decaying mind.

The most obvious points of comparison for the Leeds-based quartet’s debut record come from Cowtown’s similarly ludicrous peers; ‘I’m In Your House Part 1’ opens events with Munch Munch’s toddler-baiting stomp, the curtailing sub-Deerhoof sprawl of Buttonhead as ‘Kitty Runs Away From Garlic’ runs rampant and the incessant diseased surf-punk of Agaskodo Teliverek on ‘Crab Pamphlet’. All unnecessary spiel - describing Cowtown accurately is about as feasible as herding cats.

Though ‘Slice Of Ketchup’ harps with Devo’s new-wave riot, occasionally it’s all taken a little too far as ‘Power Ballad’ pushes Cowtown to sweep their hair back and make like Simon Le Bon. Half the point, but half a headache; never far from sounding like inept musak as ‘Mr Pear Sandwich Man’ runs round in circles as it tries to find a wall to claw itself out the pit its dug.

Released on three different formats on three different labels, Cowtown will confuse. ‘I’m In Your House Part 2’ flouts itself again, a contentedly numb-skulled close. You wouldn’t want them in your house: they’d leave their slow-jawed crisp mastication with crumbs in every corner, crayons on the floor and urinate on your sofa as they slept. But from the comfortable distance of the stereo, away from their spreading of germs, they’re a distant delight.

Succinct: a relentlessly refreshing sugar-soaked high.

  • 7
    zzzzzz zzzzzz's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

Puerto Muerto

What Have I Done

Mobback
29576
29609

The Xcerts

Just Go Home

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND