Dusted Reviews
Artist: Sluts of Trust Album: We Are All Sluts of Trust Label: Chemikal Underground Review date: Jul. 7, 2004 |
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The Sluts of Trust are a sexually obsessed guitar-drums duo, replete with ironic moustaches and Cabaret style glad rags. Tearing his way through the album's untamed songs, guitarist John McFarlane's charisma is evident the onset. Like an amphetamine-addled Jimmy Page (Physical Graffiti era – "In my Time of Dying", "The Rover", etc.), McFarlane's nonstop barrage of clever (but not too clever) riffs makes up for the combo's unabashed retro-gimmickry.
Drummer Anthony O'Donnell smashes and bashes in ragged, complementary fashion. Faultlessly energetic, his percussive style recalls Mitch Mitchell in the Experience's heyday. The percussive racket O'Donnell produces might best be described as precision trash – a dizzying cyclone of toms, cymbals and utter disdain for decorum.
To the duo's credit, the pandemonium is always under control. Vocals are sung, barked and belted with confidence as the Sluts pronounce their rock commandments. "Leave You Wanting More " truly does, as its macho Zeppelin-isms strut like a junkyard peacock beneath McFarlane's exhortations to sex and excess.
While hardly lyrically substantial, the salty subject matter is compellingly framed. When McFarlane croons lines like "You look so fucking good," which is normally cringe-worthy, sounds gleefully cheeky. The two Glaswegians hammer through an album's worth of lust and liquor with such assurance, they emerge beyond reproach.
By Casey Rae-Hunter
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