The Horrors

The Horrors (EP)

(Stolen Transmission)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

The Horrors don’t have very many songs under their belts, and they apparently aren’t too worried about fleshing out their sets with covers, as their show time has traditionally been under 15 minutes.  They have generated mountains of buzz overseas with little to their name beyond this five-song, twelve-minute EP and a penchant for brash stage shows and a keen fashion sense.

Twelve minutes ain’t long, but it’s long enough for a lesser band to wear out their welcome several times over.  Instead, The Horrors are welcome to stay around because, contrary to outward appearances, they are more than a one-trick pony.  Their full-length is due in 2007, which will obviously be a bigger test, as they’ll have to prove that they can go a whole album without running out of steam—or wilting under lofty expectations.  Oh, and helping them in that process is producer Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The Horrors have more names to drop, too, as reclusive video director Chris Cunningham came out of hiding to make the arresting visual accompaniment to “Sheena is a Parasite,” a speed-racer track from the EP.  The video stars the very talented Samantha Morton, whose disturbing performance would surely drop the jaws of anyone only familiar with her from In America or Sweet and Lowdown.  It’s worth mentioning that the video was banned on MTV (pussies) and has polarized Cunningham’s fans, who either regard The Horrors as 1) the perfect bait for coaxing their hero out of semi-retirement, or 2) a no-talent Antichrist who has tainted the filmmaker’s formerly bulletproof reputation.  Both reactions probably please The Horrors; if you’re the sort of band that covers “Jack the Ripper” and wears eyeliner and relies on a Halloween-sounding organ and sounds like you’re still in the midst of learning all of your instruments, you’re in big trouble if people aren’t saying that you suck and that all your fans are stupid.