Gordon Fights: Gordon Fights (2011)

Five-piece GORDON FIGHTS is yet another young and promising act out of Sweden, formed in 2008 and with an initial EP to their name prior to this full length debut that was released through Transubstans Records in the fall of 2011. And as a label with an orientation towards acts exploring a vintage inspired sound, it should come as no surprise to learn that indeed, this is another trip down memory lane. The target set to sometime in the 1970's.

Blues based hard rock is the name of the game for this act, poaching a few details here and a few details there to create music with a distinct sound that fits the early 1970's concept to perfection. And while not overly familiar with any band in particular, the music tends to be of a character slightly anonymous rather than with a strong identity. Songs that could have been presented as belonging to almost any number of blues based, 70's hard rock acts without anyone finding a reason to protest. Touches that might originate from the likes of The Who, Steppenwolf and The Allman Brothers Band ones I believe I found with relative ease.

As is customary for a person with a taste for sophisticated rock, I do find this act most interesting whenever they take on a sound, approach or arrangement more refined however, or when they truly excel at the difficult art of creating intriguing material with the simplest of ideas. And this is a band that appears to enjoy doing that as well, spreading out to cover a larger stylistic span than many other retro-oriented acts.

Psychedelic tinged opener As I Please opens this production in an enticing manner, with references to Led Zeppelin and Allman Brothers Band as the main ingredients in an effort flirting ever so slightly with progressive rock. Later on Warrior is a tune that should please fans of the latter, a lighter toned calmer excursion with a distinct souther drawl. And final effort Parasite is an aptly named charming acquaintance too, with a dirty bass line used as the foundation for a slow, surging blues rock affair that transforms into a majestic textured creation with a foot or so placed well inside post rock territories with it's grandiose, textured wall of sound guitar display. Just as enticing is their nod to the good, old blues on Brothers & Sisters, and the basic guitar, percussion and vocal theme that opens and ends Little Darling is another item that should find favour among dedicated blues fans. But for pure brilliance, Time Machine is the winner as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps not as innovative as some other tracks, but the perfect blend of dark-toned, dampened blues guitars and fireworks rhythms as a solid foundation for Viktor Persson's powerful vocals is a true joy from the opening note until the very end, and the clever transformation from driving, dampened blues based hard rock to lazy fusion in the final 15 seconds of this composition one that will make most fans of good quality music nod in approval.

70's based blues based hard rock os the name of the game for this self-titled debut album by Swedish band Gordon Fights. And while many tracks doesn't really manage to aspire to anything out of the ordinary, the ones who does take this act to a different level are well worth experiencing. A taste for bands like The Who and Allman Brothers Band might come in handy to be able to enjoy this disc, and if that sounds like something you'd enjoy this is a band to investigate.

My rating: 74/100


Track list:
1. As I Please 7:07
2. Birds & Flowers 3:08
3. I'm Gonna Wait 3:36
4. Dance Quite Well 3:46
5. Brothers & Sisters 4:53
6. Time Machine 3:35
7. No Rope Around Me 3:43
8. Little Darling 3:03
9. Warrior 6:36
10. Parasite 8:15