When American Nathan Williams aka Wavves was suddenly named indie candy of the week in the late nineties, things quickly went wrong. After all, the two albums to which he owes this status contain nihilistic noise-punk in his bedroom on an old four-track recorder. When this resulted in a major European tour, Williams only completed it halfway due to excessive drug use and other misconduct. Now he
… returns with King Of The Beach, a surprisingly poppy punk album. Wavves is more of a band this time, with guitarist Stephen Pope and drummer Billy Hayes also co-writing songs. The album sometimes sounds dreary (when Williams sings very-very-punk that he doesn't care about anyone and nobody about him, and that he doesn't give a shit about that) but often melodic and catchy. Perhaps thanks to his drug experiences, it sometimes even feels almost psychedelic, in Post Acid and Baby Say Goodbye, which ended like a derailed Beach Boys song. It is precisely here that Wavves transcends punk clichés with verve. (MR)more
