Album review: Pleaser – Begging Guitars

Pleaser are not a band afraid to colour outside the lines. In fact, Begging Guitars is a punky riot which tears up the colouring book altogether, drawing on the tastes of these four bandmates from Denmark’s heavy music underbelly, including former members of doom mongers Konvent and metal maniacs Slægt. Wiry post-punk. Black metal heresy. Jangly pop. It’s all fair game for Pleaser.

Throughout their second album is a playful sense of anarchy, powered by the intuitive interplay between guitarists and vocalists Suo Fei and Annie Marie Nyvold. Ride ebbs and flows as the pair push and pull the timing of their twin assault, while hyperactive drummer Oliver Nehammer’s rumbles around them like Animal from The Muppet Show.

There are also genuine surprises. Just when it seems the thrashing punk onslaught of Lighten Up couldn’t get more relentless, the band double the intensity with black metal guitar squalls and blastbeats. Elsewhere, a summery melody sprouts unexpectedly from Hey Girl’s galloping low end. Pleaser keep you guessing and in that respect they channel the freewheeling eccentricity of post-punk pioneers The Raincoats, or even Refused.

Yet as brilliant as the results can be when Pleaser lock in (see Anthem’s mosh-ready grooves), too often Begging Guitars feels unfocussed. Yes, the band clearly have chemistry and are fizzing with ideas, but the songs rarely seem to find a purpose beyond fucking around and finding out. Couple that with Suo and Annie’s powerful vocals being mixed so low that their meaning gets lost at times and you’re left wondering what they could do with their considerable talents if they sharpened their aim.

Begging Guitars’ pinballing eclecticism will either blow your mind, or make you want to tear your hair out. The only certainty is that Pleaser are making punk rock their way. Love it, or please yourself.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Brutus, Refused, Sleater-Kinney

Begging Guitars is released on May 23 via Part Time