With echoes of Echo and Siouxsie and even hints of the Durans, The Firm blast out the nu-wave pop-rock with powerful, punk tinged aggression and singalongable new-romantic finesse.
Retro no, nu-something yes! The Firm's brazen attack is led by fuzzy, distorted, scathing guitars and supported by an eternal-time-clock that is the combined rhythm section of oh-so-solid bass and metronomic drums. Atop of all this, the yearning, impassioned vocals soar and ride across the melee as they jostle for prominence with the massive sonic 'noise' of the instruments. It's a hard rather than harsh kinda vibe that The Firm give off; energetic and passionately angry whilst somehow retaining focus on the 'politics' of the job-in-hand.
The Firm's sound is not so much dense as thick-set; the guitar fills practically every available space behind the voice and provides a sort of corrosive layer that is always trying to eat its way to the fore but never quite gets through the cut and grind of the humanic outpourings. If not truly dirty, The Firm's 'noise' is certainly deeply tainted and stained with electrically derived ozone that etches its way into the midst of the electric storm to colour rather than destroy the layered natural 'tones', leaving a certain grubbiness behind.
'Dismal Results' is accompanied by 'Round The Rim' - it's here that the Duran's pop music ethic seems to cut through the more punkish roots of the 'A' side. Similarly robust and just as compelling, 'Round The Rim' demonstrates the more harmonious and pop-sided facet of this hectic sounding outfit - a great pairing resulting in a tidy and workmanlike release that'll suit several 'genre-hats' and raise The Firm's profile by several increments.
Peter J Brown aka toxic pete (http://www.toxicpete.co.uk/)
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The Firm recently came to my attention via Myspace. I am one of the more probably foolish people who do actually check every band who ask to be added. Sometimes, just sometimes, I find bands I consider worth sharing. I confess to being a lot more cynical than when I first started contributing to Rock Sellout. So, what attracted me to The Firm? To start, their well presented page immediately captured my attention. Then, the opening guitar riff off their forthcoming single "Life’s Dismal Results " kept me long enough for the vocal to grab me. Shades of Theatre of Hate sprung to mind, though there is more than a touch of Sonic Youth about them. Anyway, the band sent me a full biography and a half decent mp3 to share, so check them out. With lots of live shows coming up, I reckon you could do worse than catch them live. http://www.rocksellout.com/
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Debut single from London-based quartet The Firm offers up two tracks of straightforward rock that eschews current musical trends in favour of a more timeless sound.
A-side 'Dismal Results' is packed full of classy, assured riffs that act as a slick backdrop to Ross Liddle's likeably casual vocals. The chorus is similarly laidback, forgoing big, brash hooks, and instead relying on a very neat turn of phrase to win over the listener. Part of The Firm's appeal lies in the fact that they never seem to be trying too hard.
While this type of no frills rock has the potential to become repetitive, The Firm avoid this pitfall by picking up the pace after the midway point. They layer on the riffs, push the drumbeats to the forefront of the song and emphasise the underlying, jangly beat to ensure that 'Life's Dismal Results' doesn't just keep on delivering more of the same.
B-side 'Around The Rim (And Back To Him)' follows the formula laid down in 'Dismal Results' but has a more urgent sound, largely thanks to some insistent riffs and snappy drumbeats. 'Around The Rim...' increasingly veers more towards the heavy rock end of the spectrum, with a bridge section that delivers plenty of squealing chords, darker, brooding riffs and pounding drumbeats. This harder sound is carried over into the final quarter of the song, again ensuring that The Firm never get into the rut it'd be so easy for them to fall into.
On the downside, this song's simple but effective chorus is repeated far too many times towards the end. Although you'll initially find much to like in the choruses' slick phrasing, you'll be completely sick of it by the time 'Around The Rim...' draws to a close.
The Firm don't prescribe to any obsessively-specific musical genre, and are as such difficult to categorise. These two tracks may not drill themselves into your head like some of the more genre-specific music does but, by that virtue, The Firm's debut feels like a breath of fresh air. (4 stars) http://www.leedsmusicscene.net/article/10281/?hi=dismal+results
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Single Review
Dismal Results' is the debut single from London based psychedelic shoe gazers The Firm. The product of a culmination of a plethora of confusing juxtapositions, the band of over two years attack their music and accompanying lyrics on a number of fronts making their sound somewhat unique.
Consisting of Ross Liddle (Voice & Guitar), Chris Willsher (Lead Guitar & Piano), Julia Sieradzki (Bass Guitar) and Yameen Khan (Drums), the group combine here in the bands third year with a cruising, sometimes morbidly melancholic shard of fuzzy psychedelic rock. Produced by Matt Terry of The Enemy's 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' fame, the bands 80's influences pulse through, instantaneously recognisable in the vocals of Ross Liddle who embodies the spirit of The Cult, Suede and The Cure. Like Morrissey's twin brother, the quivering naivety of Liddle's vocals rains through. It's a sinister, monotonic version of Ricky Wilson in play, which accompanied by the most energetic and explosive set of guitars ever witnessed by man make for good times for all. Twinned with 'Round The Rim' the singles b-side, 'Dismal Results' is surely due the reverse treatment.
Matthew Clutton http://www.allgigs.co.uk/view/review/3467/Dismal_Results_The_Firm_London_Single_Review.html
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The Firm :: 09 March 2009 / The Firm / 4 Trk CD By Parker Knoll Broadcasting from London, The Firm have a gloomy sound where monotone, straight line vocals perch atop the stepped descent of a few chords and some effective hooklines. In fact The Firm are good at mixing this gothic yet heartening indie with some excellent little themes. There are snippets of the Bunnymen, Chameleons and early 80’s post new wave modernism. Remarkably, "Dismal Results" isn’t that far removed from the sound of Manchester’s legendary Monomania circa 2000. There’s a live recording of the B-side "Round The Rim (and Back To Him)" in addition to the studio cut and it’s the former that provides a better sensation of the energy and impact of The Firm – and it’s all rather very good. www.manchestermusic.co.uk MMM ½ http://www.manchestermusic.co.uk/
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Firm - Life's Dismal Results
Colourful, Catchy and Edgy
by Jo Vallance
London band The Firm’s debut single will surely stand them in good stead for future success. It’s a catchy, furious lyrical delight with a vibrant guitar line that swells in and out with glorious ease. There are moments of glossy guitarwork at the right moment just as the charismatic vocal charge from singer Ross Liddle dies down. ‘Life’s Dismal Results’ has a sharp cynical edge but an ebullient melody that sweeps you away and will stick in your head long afterwards. B-side ‘Round The Rim (And Back To Him)’ adds in some chaotic vocal harmonies, crafting layer on layer to create a lithe and lively tune that blisters with scintillating percussion and edgy guitars. The vocals and rapturous pace and irrepressible and although there’s more than a hint of bands like The Cure and Suede about this tune in particular, there’s also a fervent punk sensibility that makes what the band are doing refreshing still. The Firm certainly major in musical style, which is sure to see them gain plenty of future success. http://www.roomthirteen.com/
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The Firm – Dismal Results (Whimsical)
It’s always a slight shock when you see yourself quoted on the press release of a band you are just about to start reviewing. Inevitable feelings of ‘was it really any good’ start to surface and you begin to wonder if your colleagues and peers who also receive this press release are laughing at your apparent lack of taste. Fortunately in this case, my taste is proven to be impeccable as The Firm following up their EP from 2007 with single ‘Dismal Results’- all swirling effects and nihilism befitting such an emotive title. There’s some Smiths influence in evidence and Ross Liddle’s terse vocals preach the word according to The Firm to the listener. ‘Release what you like, not what you should like’ say Whimsical. I couldn’t agree more.
http://www.tastyfanzine.org.uk/singles84mar09.htm#TheFirm
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The Firm sound from the name as if they are going to be a bad punk band from London who watched Green Street too many times and decided that they were West Ham boot boys who needed to follow in the footsteps of their heroes Sham 69 and form a band.
The truth isn’t quite as interesting as that but musically it’s a damn sight better!
As it goes they are London based, but rather than punk they find themselves landing somewhere between the doom laden humour of The Smiths and the guitar and mood of Echo And The Bunnymen on Dismal Results, the bands impressive debut single. On the b-side Round The Rim (And Back) they scuzz things up to take them into Jesus and Mary Chain territory, showing that live they could well be a bit more rock ‘n’ roll than the a-side suggested.
A promising start and I hope they build on it, the single is out now on the ever consistent Whimsical Records. (3 stars)
http://www.thebeatsurrender.co.uk/daily/recordbox/dismal-results-the-firm
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Monday 19 January 2009
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