Brick Lizard seem like yet another rock band trying to make it in the ever-changing music world, but there's something slightly different about them.They sound like when your little brother has just discovered rock and roll, and picks up a guitar for the first time. Although obviously their skills are far more advanced than that, they've managed to preserve an element of that essential raw passion for music that seeps through every pore of their tracks. For example, Jealous, a track from their new demo, is laden with references, musically and lyrically (the thinly veiled nod to the famous 'I drive my Chevy to the levy' from American Pie is a standout) that map their influences, giving a respectful round of applause to their roots, and then moving on, making something very new out of something as old as the hills. They play so effortlessly, and the sparse layering exudes a couldn't-really-care sort of attitude, which is enhanced by the unpolished, rough diamond vocals.
When talking about the song writing process, both Rowhan, the guitarist, and Uri, bassist and vocalist, are equally modest. "It's sort of 50-50", says Rowhan, looking for Uri's approval. The riff usually comes first, which is then perfected before Uri adds vocals and lyrics. "I've been in bands before," he says, "but I've never written lyrics for the kind of music we're playing now." No matter - the lyrics spurt out in a stream of consciousness manner, and are almost Turner-esque in their euphemistic provocativeness; in Broken Bricks, the line 'your back-door tricks for a minute on the lips won't conquer me' calls to mind the reluctant resistance of Crying Lightning.
On the subject of comparisons, the band recognises that they're hard to get away from as newcomers. When asked who they most aspire to be like, Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin and Arctic Monkeys are the first things out of their mouths. "I just wanna be Josh Homme, man", smiles Rowhan. "After a gig someone actually told me I reminded them of him. That was cool." Uri chips in, "we don't want to be a tribute band, though. It's nice for people to see our influences in our music, but we don't want to replicate them." That's what's so nice about Brick Lizard, though; they're clearly so passionate about the music they play and listen to that some of it can't help but bleed through into their own songs.
Both Rowhan and Uri have been playing music for a long time, that when I ask them what made them want to play music, they take a while to consider their answer. For Uri, it was being raised on a staple diet of The Beatles, and he references classic bassist/singer Paul McCartney as an inspiration. Rowhan, on the other hand, grew up with 'Mariah Carey shit', until exposed to Led Zeppelin by his dad, and he's never looked back. Both of them are equally into Led Zeppelin, and Uri even names his favourite bass line as Ramble On, and his best vinyl album as Houses of the Holy. The opening of Another Life oddly sounds as if Stairway to Heaven had been recorded in a Dalston studio, plus a QOTSA-inspired guitar line. The mish-mash of classical rock and grunge is oddly refreshing; one could argue that they've both been done to death, but the pure enthusiasm of the band brings something new, something interesting to the combination.
I asked them what the ultimate sign of making it would be; silence pervaded for a good few seconds. Then Rowhan pipes up, "50 million albums sold!" As they both laugh, Uri just says "well, you never know, reach for the stars."
Rating: 8.5/10
Recommended tracks:
Another Life
Broken Bricks
Jealous
