The Rock Of Travolta - Fine Lines (Big Red Sky)

In a world that seems to have an abundance of instrumental bands in its mist nowadays, Oxford offers us up The Rock of Travolta. An amusingly monikered band with the collective energy of an electrified rampant rabbit.

Reknowned for their raucous live appearances, it was important for the band to capture this on their studio output. Fine Lines does just that. The band handle light and darkness to deft effect, with soaring violin offering solace one minute, then creeping you out the next. The drums pick you up by the scruff of your neck and drag you along with them, sometimes letting you catch your breath for a tender moment, and then they’re off again.

The gentler moments invoke memories of early Mogwai, but the band can get as heavy as 65daysofstatic in some of the more nightmarish sections. Mathy time signitures, chunky riffs and cheeky sounds remind of Battles-style madness in a good way. During standout tracks ‘The Goddamn Remote’ and ‘Somethings Wrong...’, the album drifts into prog territory capturing that genre’s majesty in ways only modern bands like Explosions in the Sky and a few others can.

Groovy-assed riffs tend to go spazmoid after a while, keeping you on your guard and slightly apprehensive about what’s coming up. Not afraid to rock out, last track ‘Giant Robo’ nods it’s head to Kyuss and other stoner rockers of that forsaken era.

Through the pleasant moments to the downright menacing bits, Fine Lines has a clear message and even without lyrics, you know exactly what they are saying. No mean feat.