Artist: Tusq
Title: Patience Camp
Genre: Indie / Psychedelic / Rock
Release Date: 22nd October 2010
Label: Strange Ways Records
Album Review
TUSQ comprises of four members who after playing in many other bands (D-SAILORS, SCHROTTGRENZE, THE COATFIELD etc.) decided to create a band together in 2009. They recorded their first album ‘The Patience Camp’ in a quiet Finnish village to concentrate solely on working on the album without distractions. As their major influences they cite THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES and MOTORPSYCHO (in its later phase), and though unique enough in their mixture of other musical styles - whilst the others throw in predominantly Punk or Jazz elements, TUSQ throws Indie Rock into their “sound pot” but what they share is the retro-Psychedelic Rock. If you think of it you may hear traces of GRATEFUL DEAD and have fun guessing the others. For sure also you’d be tempted to think that they’re somewhere from USA or England rather than from Hamburg & Berlin, Germany.
I will admit that the songs that I enjoyed most were the ones that shed the Psychedelic hues the most, and were more into the Indie Rock territory as for example ‘Fields of Spring’, certainly because there is more to the presence of the genuine energy and the retro sound is not one I’m enamoured by and the album, though in a better position to convince me otherwise than the bands they’re influenced by, still doesn’t convince me enough. The songs are mostly upbeat and ‘Fortune’ in particular exhibits Breitbach’s accordion skills greatly, not to mention it does enhance the song in a positive way. Their lyrics are enjoyable. The music does betray their experience, for a debut it’s musically accomplished. ‘Patience Camp’ can be summarised as an upbeat collection of songs together with some melancholy ones such as ‘Heat Drive Collective’ - its melancholy you can say is quite energetic.
I would still want to hear them without majority of the retro sounds and without the Psychedelic distortion of guitars - would have enjoyed their sound in a “cleaner” version, but for the fans of the trend they will welcome it, so you can say it’s very much a matter of taste, test it and find which way you’d feel listening to it.
Tracklist
01. Urban Spaces – 4.53
02. You And I – 3.49
03. Love Vs Reason – 4.03
04. History Lane – 3.03
05. Let The Fairies Lead The Way – 5.17
06. Fortune – 4.04
07. Full Scale Retreat – 3.45
08. Heart Drive Collective – 3.14
09. Fields Of Spring – 3.23
10. Unfold – 4.25
Line-up
Uli Breitbach – Vocals Organ, Accordion
Timo Sauer – Guitars
Holger Lüken – Drums, Backings
Paul Konopacka – Bass, Backings
Websites
www.myspace.com/tusq / http://www.tusq.net/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 6
Sound: 8
Total: 7 / 10
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