The Striggles – Cold Song EP 10″ (Noise Appeal Records)

We have some more The Striggles records in our arsenal. Today, I will talk about Cold Song, a 10″ record released by Noise Appeal Records in 2010. Like it or not, 10″ has as much importance as 7″ and 12″, so this particular format comes in handy for these three tracks that couldn’t fit on a 7″. But let’s talk about the design before diving into the music. Cold Song looks divine, mainly because of the front cover artwork. The dark purple flowers with a black background immediately draw attention, while the back side reveals a yellow, grey, and black combination. Both sides look marvelous, serving as a perfect carrier for a standard black vinyl. As far as I could remember, this release doesn’t have an inlay, which is quite common when it comes to 10″ format, and it’s not like you’ll need any.

This fine piece of plastic carries three covers, Cold Song by Klaus Nomi, Wauwau by Nina Hagen, and Je Te Veux by Eric Satie. The group rearranged and performed these tracks to their liking. Therefore, if you’re stumbling over this exceptional band for the first time, you can expect several music genres skillfully combined to appeal to even the pickiest fans of underground music. Perhaps noise rock comes to mind first on this set of songs, but you’ll notice how some other styles found their way. The elements of post-hardcore, garage rock, and alternative burst from all possible sides, while the band remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. Of course, The Striggles keeps their version of these classics as fresh and unique as possible, but you’ll hear many similarities with the originals too. It’s also exciting to hear how the entire band thought outside the box while rearranging particular segments or even the entire songs, so you should approach the Cold Song without expecting just plain interpretations.

This band always knew how to deliver premium noise rock fully stacked with impressive musicianship. You’ll notice how generous servings of noise decorate every segment and instrumentation. The raw, abrasive, fuzzy, heavily distorted sound resonating from both guitars sounds remarkable from scratch to finish, making these tracks even better than the originals. Of course, that only means if you’re into heavy music because The Striggles burst with sheer power. The bass guitar serves as a binding element between guitars and drums, but it also provides heaviness, depth, and clarity. These compositions wouldn’t sound this good without an energetic drumming performance, which offers tremendous dynamics, energy, and groove through well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. You’ll notice how high-pitched notes shine on all three songs, something entirely uncharacteristic of The Striggles before. However, it suits these compositions pretty well, so you’ll love it if you’re into those singing techniques.

The Striggles did a wonderful job with this one, and these covers sound fresh and unique even today, after almost a decade and a half since this record appeared. Still, you can purchase it via Noise Appeal Records as part of the Striggles vinyl bundle. Don’t miss it!