Album Review: Royston Vasie - Tanah Merah

Named after the grimly dark fictional town where brilliantly warped TV series The League Of Gentlemen is set, Melbourne-based four-piece Royston Vasie immediately spark interest as a band that has a wicked sense of humour. The title of their debut record, Tanah Merah, furthers such an idea. Nevertheless the 11 tracks contained within the album are considerably less adventurous, adhering diligently to straight-up no-frills rock'n'roll without attempting to stamp any unique approach to the material, although there is enough on show that hints at something just off the horizon.

Things start off fairly rote, with the strong opener, You Want It Now, bleeding into Inside and That's My Girl, that standard verse/chorus/verse composition and nicely packaged but without much character. The band thank Money For Rope in the liner notes, and it's clear that the two acts share more than a passing interest in being raucous and clear-cut, which stands as both a blessing and a curse – All The Little People attempts to be a slow-burner but the constant references to cigarettes and alcohol smacks of pastiche, or even worse, desperation. Still, there are moments here where the boys step out from the generics and provide some personality. Easier slows things down and the breezier approach actually fits well for the most part; Get Back Yesterday looks even further back for inspiration, with the spectre of Marc Bolan shadowing the melody.

As it stands though, Tanah Merah is a mixture of base structures that Royston Vasie opt to hide behind. Unfortunately, there will be no trouble here.