There are times when you just need some straight forward rock music, which is exactly what you get with C.Lou.D Dog(s) – despite the unnecessary dots and brackets within their logo, presumably there to help reference the bands members, the three piece stay clear of any gimmicks and although they may not break down any musical barriers it really doesn’t matter for Chris, Louisa and Dan happily play good ole fashioned hard rock.
You find the opening track “Torture” has a chorus that’s easy to sing along to and the album is full of well written guitar licks, in particular the riffs on the following tune “Is it Getting Better” being amongst the highlights.
There’s something interesting about the title “Homesick Cigarette” whilst “Crossroads” references not only a turning point but also the urban myth of selling your soul to the devil. The bluesier number in “High on the Time” grabs your attention just past the halfway mark and although C.Lou.D Dog(s) tend to stick to the same formula throughout, there’s a bit of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder creeping into the vocals on the slower “New Feelings”.
The south Londoners end on “Shit Guitar” but it is in fact the guitar work of frontman Chris Mays that holds the simply titled “No.1” album together, there may not be anything over complicated but with C.Lou.D Dog(s) also having a number of acoustic performances under their belt it would be just as interesting to see these songs stripped back to their raw skin and bones, as it is hearing the band rocking out in the studio.
