Play 90 second soundbite of 'Dismal Results' @ 'CD quality'
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.
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