Big Business - 'The Beast You Are' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Abdominal Snowman

2. Heal The Weak

3. Complacency Is Killing You

4. Bright Grey

5. Time And Heat

6. The Moor You Know

7. People Behave

8. We Can Swarm

9. El Pollo

10. We’ll Take The Good Package

11. Last Family

12. Under Everest

13. Let Them Grind

There is something inherently discordant about “Abdominal Snowman” that immediately puts the listener on edge. I love it! Being on edge whilst listening to music makes you pay more attention. Sometimes all you need is a song you can sing along to, sometimes like now you can’t even keep to the beat of each song. Big Business are not amazingly heavy, the album can be played quietly with no loss of sensation, but they do seem to delight in off kilter tracks. As I work my way through “Heal The Weak” I’m still on tenterhooks, the drums are high in the mix and all that cymbal bashing is tugging at fraught nerves.

As the album progresses the tension does not abate, in fact it builds by the bucket load. Something about the vocals not sitting properly with the rest of the track might be the off tracking on “Time And Heat” that is causing my discomfort (and joy). The album title “The Beast You Are” is very apt, for it is a hell of a beast, full of menace, with BIG teeth. The band seem to have a knack of knowing exactly how much the listener can take before it all just gets too much and ends each track about a second after that point.

“The Moor You Know” drums are reminding me of Pixies at their prime, not that the rest of the song is at all like any Pixies song. This song is a slower building effort but no less intense for it, I’m still squirming in my seat. Oh my, I’m seven tracks in and I’ve broken out in a cold sweat! Can I make it through to the end? Maybe “The Beast You Are” is too much of a beast for me?

I can do this, I can do this! “El Polo” has started again with the off tracking, do they know what that does to a person? Probably, that’s why they do it. Although they are using similar techniques as “Time And Heat” it doesn’t sound samey, it’s not a rehash.

“Under Everest”! Not going to give the game away but it’s a much needed break in the tension of the album, and proof that Big Business are no one trick pony. I will say it’s not what I expected.

Now we’ve got our breath back the guys can go in with the death blow that is “Let Them Grind”, and it is a death blow, I’m done.

The Beast You Are by Big Business is not an album to be taken lightly by any means. I’m giving it 4 stars out of 5. My only complaint is the vocals could be a little more challenging, but hey that could just be me, by all means buy it and see for yourself, it’s worth it.