:: Buick Six - Common Arms

Buick Six

Don’t let their name ward you off, Buick Six are not as drab as the General Motors’ classic that is their namesake. Instead the trio is much like much of what’s coming to us from sunny Queensland. Only they’re doing with way more style and finesse. The first thing that hits you about their latest EP Common Arms is the tenacity behind these boys. They may have only given us a four track taster but it’s intense and positively bursting at the seams with passion and energy. You are immediately drawn to “Changes”. The opening track, it’s obviously what the boys want you remember and for good reason too. ‘60s-hard-rock-Led Zeppelin-homage meets impossible-to-pin-down-electricity, it’s magic. And, to top it all off: an electric guitar bridge whines the track to a close creating a moment of musical bliss that is so perfect it’ll make you want to cry. The tears keep coming with “Velvet Clap”, but they’re definitely happy tears. It always warms the cockles of a reviewer’s heart to hear Aussie bands that have the talent most international acts only dream of. “Velvet Clap” is melancholic, loud, nostalgic rock with a fresh twist. It’s seeping with solid streams of guitar after guitar, ignorantly loud bass and timed-to-perfection drum beats. Its vocals are Kurt Cobainish in their emotion. Its lyrics drenched in pain. Quite simply too good to be true. It’s not difficult to sum up Common Arms. What is difficult is to stop listening to them. Four tracks tack you on journey that blissful, elevating and inspiration. If only all the bands that come from the north were this good.