Pord – Wild Review
Pord is a noise rock trio hailing from France made up of drummer Sébastien Daudé, bassist Max Quintin and guitarist/vocalist Mike Paulhac. This is basically my first solid introduction to them, but they've been around since 2002, when they dropped their debut, “N'importe Ou”.
Pord has a lot of things going for them. The playing is tight. The production is solid, even though the bass gets lost behind the guitar at times. The vocals heavily accented, but also suitably pissed off. The bass is fuzzy, the guitar is sharp. From the straight ahead buzz of “Staring Into Space” to the Mathy angularity of “I'm Swimming Home” to the lengthy constantly shifting closer “On The Couch”, Pord sounds like a band that's played together long enough to truly have a feel for what they're doing.
Unfortunately, most of what's offered here sounds sort of safe, and that's not good for a noise rock band. Nothing new is really being done. I feel like, if you've listened to a bit of 90s noise, most notably The Jesus Lizard, you'll have heard most of what Pord has to offer. There are a few moments where I feel real viscera (like the tracks “My Bloody Galantine” and “What Are Tuesdays For?), but for the most part this album is lacking. Where's the pain? Where's the blood, sweat, tears and other bodily fluids? This album could have done with a bit more spontaneity.
So, if you want yet another solid, well played noise rock record, Wild is worth checking out, but if you're new to the genre, there are better places to start.
5.5/10