The Dwarves – Invented Rock and Roll

The self-styled ‘most vulgar band in the world’ are back with their latest album, The Dwarves Invented Rock and Roll (released back in August via Recess Records). The record doesn’t see the band stray far from their trademark eclectic sound which incorporates elements of folk, surf guitar, hip hop all folded into their well earned punk rock street cred. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  

Hate Rock is the band at their best, a garage punk anthem ranting about the things they hate about rock and roll (spoiler – backpacks, yoga mats, ball caps and rugrats all feature, but love and dope and sex and dreams, and death and meth and discontent are all things they love. Hardly a shock!

Gentleman Blag and Sluts of the USA are both catchy and tuneful with the former telling the story of the band’s notorious leader punctuated by pounding drums and driving riffs and with lyrics like: Gentleman Blag, any old hag, ready to shag, gentleman blag, you realise that the vulgarity never ceases, even if well disguised in layers of distortion. The latter seems a little The Dwarves-by-the-numbers, expected, but still a fun listen.

Trailer Trash is easily the album’s highlight. Great riff, great melody and features some of my favourite lyrics since Runaway #2 (from The Dwarves Must Die), ‘That tornado ripped through town, turned the whole world upside down, she vanished in a flash, with my credit cards and stash. Now I’m left here with this rash, yeah and I’m sifting through the ash for my tragic trailer trash’. Irresistibly great.

Fun to try, Kings of The World and Unpredictable all epitomise what The Dwarves are all about; melody, harmonies, killer riffs, and most of all fun mixed up with a degree of vulgarity that you can’t tell if delivered with tongue firmly planted in cheek or not. Take the lyrics from Fun to Try; ‘You can’t fool all the people all of the time, but it’s fun to try’ which seems like an homage to their faking the death of He Who Cannot Be Named back in the 90s which Sub Pop, their label at the time did not take well. (the band were dropped).

Who I am has a real sense of arrogance about it, but it totally works, the harmonies, machine gun guitars and an insane chorus all taking equal turns to shine. This could (and in my opinion should) have been the album opener as it sets the stage for The Dwarves to set out their argument for Inventing Rock and Roll and it would take a brave man or woman to argue against them.

The beauty of the music of The Dwarves music is that it shocks and delights in equal measure. On Invented Rock and Roll, they get the balance perfectly right.

 The Dwarves Invented Rock and Roll is out now via Recess Records.