Ahall And The ECEs
Time For Brawl Ep

LA RECENSIONE

Northern Europe has been churning out some of the most credible rock and roll of recent years for nearly two decades now. It's no coincidence that the country is one of the world's largest music exporters, alongside the USA and UK. Perhaps it's the lively Scandinavian music scene to thank, but the fact is that talented bands keep popping up like mushrooms.

One of these is Ahall and the ECEs, a fun garage combo from the province of Gothenburg. At first glance at the photos, the band might appear to be the classic carefree group like blink182, but behind the carefree poses and the boozy proclamations in their song titles, lies a band devoted to pure and raw garage rock and roll, not shying away from adding a good dose of old-school hardcore (think Minor Threat, Circle Jerks, and Black Flag among others). What strikes about this band is not so much their sound formula (which certainly can't be defined as innovative and original), but the fact that nowadays it is increasingly difficult to find valid exponents of a genre whose name and reason for existing is being inflated and distorted by far more renowned artists.

"Time for Brawl," is an example of how this music should be: raw, no frills, and with a good dose of self-irony. And what's more, it is free in its digital version. Highly recommended not only to fans of the hardcore groups mentioned above but also to those who appreciate the late '60s garage rock brought to the forefront by The Stooges, The Sonics, and MC5. A little gem in Europe's independent rock and roll.