Search - That Fucking Tank :: Tanknology

Curiously named Leeds duo That Fucking Tank, a band that originally formed for a one-off performance in 2004, have finally, after five years delivered their debut album, a 34 minute instrumental manifesto by the name of Tankology. It is easy to warm to TFT before you ever hear them. It is clear this is not a band of people who take themselves too seriously. When you see tracks with names like Dave Grolsch , Evan Dido and Bruce Springstonehenge it s clear that someone somewhere has a bit of tongue in cheek action going on. However, do not let their willingness to be a bit silly when it comes to naming things distract from the immense joy that Tankology can bring. It is a seriously musical album, and it is clear that both members have put a lot of themselves into perfecting their mini-opuses. Heavy rock is the order of the day when talking about musical influences. TFT are an amalgamation of a typical line-up at the Download Festival, but minus a singer. Something like what Queens of the Stone Age during one of their Desert Sessions might sound like if Josh Homme lost his vocal chords, and no one else wanted to sing. A band you could easily imagine wearing tight-blue faded denim jeans and matching jackets. Somehow, TFT works, and a lot better in practice than they would look to on paper. Take Keanu Reef , with its pinprick guitar stabs and throbbing bassline, it is pure rock, with all and none of the clichés simultaneously. Tankology closes on Steven Hawkwind , arguably the best named track on the album, and also the best, with its Iron Maiden guitar riffs, cowbells and cannon-shot drums, spanning eight minutes of tight, adrenaline fuelled musical masturbation, it reaches its inevitable climax with a final burst of guitars, a bit of Hammond, then collapses back onto its metaphorical bed and falls asleep. Exciting, dramatic and perfectly executed, Tankology is the DIY musical ethic in one of its purest forms. - Steve Gislam