Sluts of Trust "WE Are All Sluts of Trust"

Sluts of Trust--I'll admit it, that name kind of scared me off. I'm sorry, I know I'm not supposed to form value judgments of a band before I hear their record, but a name does form a first impression, and there's plenty of assumptions that can be made about this band. What kind of music should you expect from a band with a name like Sluts of Trust? Trashy heavy metal? Really bad techno? Crappy punk rock? Some other form of music that's probably really stupid?

Well, in a weird way, Sluts of Trust is a mixture of all of those, but they're all the better for it. This Scottish duo of John McFarlane and Anthony O'Donnell have made a record that's inspired by everything right about grunge and everything that's considered wrong in the Rock and Roll Rule Book. Much like the cabaret goth of Marc Almond and Foetus--and on songs like "Let's..." and the wonderful "Pirate Weekend," it's clear that both are obvious influences--Sluts of Trust aren't afraid of being over-the-top. We Are All Sluts of Trust is a record that's so chaotic, so shambly, so loose, it seems on the verge of falling apart at any second, but it never does, and the pleasure of this record comes from the anticpation that the band's going to fail miserably. The live feel of much of the record doesn't help clear things up, either; I bet many of these sloppy ideas translate quite nicely on the stage.

It's fascinating listening to Sluts of Trust tread ever-so close to falling apart. Don't ask me to repeat the lyrics, because they're either too lewd or too unintelligble, but what they lack in lyrical content, they make up for in attitude. From the sloppy guitar soloing on "Peace O'You" to the yelling of "Meanwhile in Rocksville" to the brooding sad-eyed "Dominoes," Sluts of Trust is an onslaught of musical ideas, attitude and noise; sure, you might not understand what it is they're getting at, but you'll sure as hell know how they're gonna get there. Bet these guys are a real down and dirty live act. Still, We Are All Sluts of Trust is never less than an interesting listen.

--Joseph Kyle

Artist Website: http://www.slutsoftrust.co.uk
Label Website: http://www.chemikal.co.uk