Indie Music Album Reviews

Snailbones - Keelhaul 'em All

4/28/2023

Snailbones

Keelhaul 'em All
self-released; 2023

4.0 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Snailbones is a Pacific North West noise rock band, composed of guitarist Timothy Francis, Kelly Minton and Drew Owens. According to the band, they formed in 2017 in Portland, Oregon and were playing shows on a consistent basis until the pandemic hit. Instead of doing nothing they started to make a record which would eventually become Keelhaul ‘em All.

The band mentions their sound aligns with other acts like Shellac, the Jesus Lizard, the Breeders and other like-minded bands. On top of that they worked with the great Steve Albini. I had a feeling I was going to like this album before I heard a note and my assumptions were correct.

This is the type of sound that was more prevalent in the ’90s in terms of the production. It’s organic and raw but also beautifully mixed with analog overtones that make you feel like you’re in the same room as the band.

All things considered this is a short album, coming in around twenty-six minutes. That being said this is the type of music that avoids navel gazing or any extra fat. From the moment it starts with “Mouse Clap” you know the band wants to get down to business. On “Mouse Clap” you are greeted with some gnarly grooves, dissonance and occasional cathartic screams which sound like they are coming from the pits of his stomach. There’s a good amount of distortion and I was impressed by the immediacy of the vocals.

“Dead Inside” opens with such a killer groove. It’s grimy and covered with guitar that sounds like knives. The drums and bass hold it down here with a steady foundation. I thought the vocalist sounded a bit like Kurt Cobain which I think is hard praise.

“Sweet and Serene” sort of continues with a grunge inspired sound. Soundgarden came to mind when listening to the beginning of the song. The song reaches some intense heights. It’s again very cathartic where all the pain is boiling to the surface with release.

The band is just getting started. One of the more accessible and possibly single- worthy songs is the post-punk sounding “Slave To Hate.” That’s followed by “Floating” and “Death Face” both of which are solid songs that build upon their signature sound. “Dissension” refuses to not be heard while “Break Apart The Day” has multiple vocalists which create some variation. The band baited me with “Bury Me Meow” which I thought was going to be a muted closer but ends up being the arguably most intense sounding song.

Wow - this album was incredible. It hits upon a lot of the things I love about music but perhaps most of all is how visceral and real this feels. Recommended.