The Fat Angel Sings

Based on the strength of their first offering and the way they’ve carefully and credibly building their already strong fan foundations on the DIY circuit, Birmingham trio Table Scraps might not be hoovering up the crumbs from the feasts of others for too much longer.

As an outfit, they leave the distinct impression that they know exactly what they want and aren’t going to settle for anything less, even at this early juncture. Everything about them – from the aesthetics of the band, to their music videos and their self-produced output – feels considered and on-point. Their sludge-imbued garage punk undoubtedly owes a debt of gratitude to the likes of The Cramps and Turbonegro, but picks and chooses its influences carefully and smartly across a span of decades from the rock’n’roll history books.

There’s a culture around this trip of a record that’s hard to deny, one that’s steeped in the US traditions of Dinosaur Jr and the MTV explosion, but also borrows heavily from the UK garage rock scene of the Sixties and throws a dash of hometown heroes Sabbath into the mix for good measure. All this is of course a long-winded way of saying that Table Scraps ooze cool from every greasy pore of their video-store-stalking, leather-jacket-clad malcontent bodies.

‘Sick of Me’ is the first single from the new LP ‘Autonomy’ – Released Feb 23rd on Zen Ten.

Birmingham’s Table Scraps are a scuzzy, uncompromising, and more than a little tongue in cheek. As such, Their second album, ‘Autonomy’, harbours many of those same traits, and though its clattering garage rock may feel familiar for those who spent any time with the band’s debut, it does just enough to distance itself from its predecessor.

Where ‘More Time For Strangers’ possessed an almost anarchic sense of youthful abandon, ‘Autonomy’ feels more structured, streamlined even. And while one can’t go as far as to say that Table Scraps have undergone a complete maturing process between records – each snarled lyric still feels brattish and uncouth – there’s a definite feeling that the band’s approach to their songwriting is coming from a more considered place.

‘I’m a Failure’ and ‘Frankenstein’ bristle with an undeniable punk energy that’s more ‘60s New York than ‘70s London. And while fast and loose will almost certainly be anyone’s first impression of ‘Autonomy’, a definite blues influence emerges as the record progresses. It’s something of a double-edged sword however, working in favour of the likes of ‘More Than You Need Me’ or ‘Do It All Over Again’ while stymying the pace on ‘Takin’ Out the Trash’ or ‘My Obsession’.

It’s a shame, as ‘Autonomy’ is a record that gallops more than canters, yet occasionally falls victim to its own inherent sludge; bogged down by the murky waters of the Mississippi delta when it should be doing speedballs in an NYC dive bar. That said, it’s also one with more than its fair share of potential, suggesting that there’s plenty more to come from the Birmingham trio.

http://

the new LP ‘Autonomy’ – Released Feb 23rd on Zen Ten