We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.
The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ...
Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.
Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.
Cuddly Shark are a talented three piece from the Scottish highlands who have made Glasgow their home. As well as having a superb band name, they have a good line in pop infused indie songs with great hooks and humorous lyrics. But they also have an unpretentious attitude that seems to say that they simply play the way they want to play. Yet I have a feeling that the spontaneous and, in places, hectic feel of the album is exactly what they have practiced hard to achieve.
The Road To Ugly is the band’s second album, coming after a 2009 self titled debut that received some excellent reviews. Colin Reid on guitar and vocals, Jason Sinclair on drums and Ruth Forsyth on bass guitar and vocals combine well together. The end result is a good collection of 12 songs, jammed into just 29 minutes that speeds by, and is basically damned good fun.
There are some decent tracks on The Road To Ugly. Overpriced is frantic with a great bass line to open, then a fuzzy guitar riff and a shouted chorus. My iPod Made Me Do it is probably the closest to a mainstream rock song and has a frenetic vibe to its vocals. And Pull The Finger Out features some great guitar work.
Body Mass Index, previously released as the title track of an EP, is probably the best song here. Again the bass opens the track, which tells of a lady killer who doesn’t meet with much success because “she says I’m attractive in the wrong direction”. The humour works very well and the fast paced song is delivered with real style, Reid’s pained vocals leaving the listener in a quandary about whether to sympathise with the protagonist or laugh at him.
Of the others, The Devil In You with its dark country air, stands out, as does the closing acoustic Local Hero, another with darker lyrics, this time sung with real feeling over a lo fi hum.
This isn’t the type of album that you will spend hours dissecting and looking for hidden meanings. Cuddly Shark are very good at getting their message across in a simple and straightforward manner, so it’s one to sit back and enjoy. It’s a good time sound and it works well.
Venue: The Road To Ugly
Support Band: Armellodie Records