polaroids of androids

You only have to spend a few minutes on this site to realise that we think pretty highly of Sydney's Talons. We lovingly look at them as the wild bastard sons we never had and ever since our ears were fortunate enough to hear them we have lusted for a physical release. Ducats, mostly recorded live, bottles Talons' fantastic stage sound into six tracks of raw energy, delivered through gritted teeth and constrained angst. It's unmistakably local in it's approach, yet steps above the normal shortcomings of an unfunded Sydney DIY release with it's layered textures and endless stream of shifting moods. This is twenty one minutes of music that doesn't sit still and challenges the listener to not feel the fist of emotion that is pounding against their face.

The opening track, Squid, powered by an infectious riff, is the catchiest moment on the release and an instantly memorable slap of fantastic punk rock. It leads into Sunrise Sunset which, with it's dualing vocals and a thunderous rhythm, immediately shifts any misconceptions the listener may have conjured up from the opener and prepares them to sit there and expect just about anything from that point on. The remainder of the EP shifts, turns and occasionally fights without following any fixed pattern or guidance. Much like any band that holds our interest for more than the duration of a single track, Talons rarely stay on a fixed path and are more than comfortable crashing their sound through the shrubbery on the way to the final destination.

Ducats is a perfect summarised package of why we love this band. Talons prove that Sydney music is not a dead whore slaved to themed nights and pretentious bullshit. Their EP is some of the best music you will hear this year and if it didn't leave us with such a thirst for more it would certainly be a clear frontrunner for our favourite release of 2007.