Before I get round to Cains debut album Im going to take a listen to the appallingly monikered Chains in the Shed which has to win the award hands down for one of the worst names in history! Anyhow despite their truly rubbish name what first struck me was how mellow this was! It has an almost psychedelic feel to it, not surprising really as main man Nathan Limbaugh used to be in Karma to Burn and has toured with the likes of Clutch, Kyuss and John Spencer Blues Explosion. Really Chains in The Shed sounds a little like all those bands, if a little mellower. In fact mellow seems to be the order of the day here. Forget raging testostorone fuelled HC, this is an alternative rock album, so those of you expecting a bunch of Agnostic Front soundalikes will be in for a very nasty surprise. Although this is defiantly not HC, it does have a definite post-hardcore/indie-rock feel to it in the vein of Bluetip, latter day Fugazi and touches of Capn Jazz. Luckily the songs are not too long, so you never get the opportunity to become really bored by the slowness of it all. This will not be to the taste of everyone, but for those of you with a more open mind, this is music that is both relaxing and enjoyable to listen to at the same time, without ever becoming too self indulgent. Although at times it is so slow as to send you to sleep! Therefore probably a good idea not to listen to this too often if your wanting to stay awake! Nevertheless an interesting listen.
