The Checks - HuntingWhales

Wed 7th Nov, 2007 in Music Reviews

The Checks
Hunting Whales
Red Label/SonyBMG

Just the right side of noisy and squally, New Zealand five-piece The Checks are the latest in an ever-increasing queue to appear as the latest rock – œn roll troupe from the land of the great white cloud, enveloped in great white hype.

The band caught the ear of no less than R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, who personally requested that they support his band (and then introduced them to the crowd every night). Oasis subsequently took them around Australia and NZ with his group, with the band signing an international deal not too long after. But after all the build-up, how can their debut album possibly match the expectations?

It can, and it does…to a certain extent. Of course it’s not doing anything new; rock – œn roll is rock – œn roll, pure and simple, and is now over 50 years old. But, like any good rock – œn roll band should, the Checks look to the likes of Chuck Berry, the Stooges, and Roky Eriksson for inspiration, delivering a blast of jangling, rowdy noise on their debut. The classic blues and proto-punk elements are more than apparent, and in vocalist Edward Knowles they have a frontman blessed with a raggedly beautiful rock – œn roll voice, with just the right balance of sweetness and spittle in it.

Plus the Checks genuinely have some cracking songs: What You Heard is a stomper of a single, Terribly Easy and Memory Walking are sweet and restrained by comparison, while See My Peter adds a different element with its more groove-based feel.

But, for the great majority of Hunting Whales, The Checks open up the throttle and let rip. It works. Where many other debut albums in this genre have fallen by the wayside either through the band not matching the hype or it simply being the case of right place, but wrong time, there’s a sense about this impressive effort that that won’t happen to the Checks.

Check out the Checks performing live at the Red Bull Sessions