Filthy Lucre

The doors opened on Saturday evening at Jive to a hoard of hard rock fans eager to celebrate the release of Filthy Lucre’s debut full-length album Mara. As the venue started to fill, the first tasty band prepared to warm up the crowd for what was to come…

Getting things moving was local Adelaide psych-rock band Rat Ta’Mango. Having seen this band name previously around town, I was intrigued to hear them live and to put a sound to that peculiar name. I was impressed and satisfied by the bluesy tones that echoed throughout Jive and got the early birds moving on the dance floor.

Smack bang in the middle of the night was a quirky, quacky 6-peice band called Silent Duck. Full of unique humor, funky riffs and brassy horns, Silent Duck impressed throughout their forty-minute set. The crowd banter and vocal performance provided by ‘Sexman’ was on fire. I instantly noticed Frank Zappa type influences; the mix of horn section and rock ‘n’ roll music, with spoken vocals splashed here and there was aesthetically pleasing and quite progressive in many respects.

Silent Duck 30-1-2016Silent Duck showcased their brassy funk-rock tunes.

To round off the night satisfying everyone’s burning desire to hear the tastiest, most blistering and intense riffs of all time, Filthy Lucre took to the stage. Vowing to play every song off the new album, I knew we were in for a treat.

Filthy Lucre is made up of Luke Marsh on guitars, cigars and vocals and Ed Noble on drums and percussion. This band only has two members but manages to create a huge sound; I am surprised and impressed every time, especially when I hear the cigar-box guitar put into action. It is full and in your face, making you stand up and move to the music.

From beginning to end Filthy Lucre brought the big guns, fat, chunky riffs were flying all around Jive. The energy was high on stage and off stage, with many fans in the crowd moshing and jumping around to the music hitting our ears. I’m pretty sure that drummer Ed Noble, was standing up for most of the gig!

All I could think of at the end of the night was how fortunate I am to have experienced such a powerful and memorable performance from Filthy Lucre. I had never seen such excitement and vigor in the local scene, the crowd was giving back the intense energy that they were receiving from the performers. It was a positive night full of sleazy, dirty rock music and Filthy Lucre were the stars.

As the night came to a close, I felt excited because I couldn’t wait to hear Mara, the album I was holding in my hands. I hoped that the sheer, exhilarating live performance of Filthy Lucre would be translated onto the studio record and the thick, fat tones would be captured for all to hear. I guess I will have to listen and find out… for the love of music. - For The Love Of Music (Australia)

En la segunda quincena del pasado Noviembre dimos una primera pista sobre el debut que traerían esta nueva banda australiana que se hace llamar Filthy Lucre.

“Mara” es su álbum debut que llegará a finales de este mes a las tiendas, nosotros ya le hemos echado el guante y la verdad que la sonrisa no nos cabe en el rostro. Muy posiblemente estemos ante una de las mayores y mejores revelaciones que nos pueda dejar este primer trimestre en cuanto a lo que se refieren las sorpresas.

Evidentemente Filthy Lucre han sabido elegir bien sus piezas para afrontar esta primera partida y después de un buen puñado de shows por su Australia natal, su música se ha hecho eco hasta traspasar las extensas aguas del Pacífico y llegar hasta la ciudad de Ashland (Oregon), dónde el dúo musical ha elegido un elenco de personalidades del gremio para contribuir a esta causa bajo la producción de Sylvia Massy (Tool, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Prince…).

La banda se formó a principios del 2012 siendo un grupo de versiones. Tanto Ed Noble (batería) como Lucas Marsh (guitarra) han ido evolucionando de manera favorable y siendo conscientes de sus posibilidades. A partir de aquí, Filthy Lucre da un paso adelante y se vienen arriba componiendo extenso material que mucho pertenece a este gran “Mara”.

Géneros como blues, stoner o garage rock son los principales ingredientes para este correoso larga duración de los músicos de Adelaida, poblado de jam’s de alucine más propias de bandas consagradas como The White Stripes, la “Experience” de Hendrix o Seasick Steve.

“World Corp” es el primer adelanto y serio aviso que nos dejan a lo que está por venir. Si hubiera un recopilatorio plagado de bandas salidas de “La Habitación 235” os aseguro que este adelanto sería uno de esos hits.

Cátenlo con dulzura porque muy pronto traeremos el disco y os garantizo que volarán muy alto con todo lo que contiene. De momento les dejamos su portada, tracklist y este gran adelanto para que vayan abriendo boca. Buen provecho. - La Habitación 235 (Spain)

No doubt one of the hottest prospects coming out of Adelaide is Filthy Lucre who are releasing their debut album Mara. For a two piece they make a hell of a racket and their live show is sensational and a band to keep an eye out on in 2016 as they make their presence felt. Luke Marsh (guitar and vocals) and Ed Noble (drums and vocals) talk to Across The Ocean about working on their debut album with renowned producer Sylvia Massy.

INTERVIEW:

ATO: Congratulations on knocking over this album, did it feel like a labour of love or was it easier than you thought?

Ed: Both! We sacrificed a lot to make it happen, I had to sell my car to pay for the studio time and it cost us both a lot emotionally… it was a stressful time trying to sort everything out and get all of the album prep done in time.
Luke: Once we were in the studio though it was super smooth and really easy! Sylvia and the crew were amazing to work with.

ATO: Was it hard letting it go after putting so much of yourselves in to it?

Ed: Not really, Sylvia was totally in-tune with us creatively… she knew what we wanted before we even knew we wanted it! She always worked around us and our “sound” – she never tried to change anything that we did ourselves, only work out her own ways of getting it down in print to sound like “us”. We don’t really have much of an ego for ourselves and our music, we were very confident with handing over our work to her to do her thing.

ATO: Did you have a clear vision of how you wanted the album to pan out?

Luke: Well I kind of had something in mind for what we wanted… I record all of our demos at my house with gear that I’ve gathered over the years, so I found it fun trying to make the album myself and see how it turned out and trying to add little effects here and there to make it unique. Sylvia totally ran with what we wanted and came up with some great ideas and production concepts.

ATO: Were the songs mostly finished or did you improvise a little in the studio?

Ed: They were mostly finished, we tried really hard in the lead-up to polish everything but we really didn’t know what to expect as it was our first proper album and the first time we had been in a professional studio ever.

Luke: We did do a fair bit of improv on the album though, for example the title track “Mara” was all improvised late one night in the studio where we stayed up until midnight working on it, was past the engineer Ian Rickard’s clock-off time. We just got stuck into it and it came out very different to what we expected but so much better! Also the entire ending of “Feelin’ Down” was totally improvised. Ed just started going mental (as he does) and I followed, and it ended up on the record!

ATO: How influential was Sylvia Massy in the recording process?

Ed: Hugely! She gave us a new way of looking at everything – taught us a lot about putting everything together and making it all cohesive. Most of our stuff was set out in our heads but we just handed it all to her and let her take control of the production. She was easy to trust with our stuff and so great to work with!

ATO: Was it daunting going to the US and then working with a big name producer?

Ed: Absolutely… that’s all I can say!

ATO: Do you think you would have got the same results with anyone else?

Luke: We always get people asking us why we went all the way to America to record an album when we could have done it here in Australia. Obviously there are great studios and great producers in Australia but we really just wanted to get away from everything back home and focus entirely on the project and immerse ourselves in it. Besides, it’s Sylvia Massy! Who wouldn’t want to work with her in her epic museum of a studio if they had the opportunity!

ATO: Do you think the environment enhanced the sound?

Luke: Oh definitely. I think one big factor in creativity and how these things turn out overall is the environment in which they are created. Like I mentioned before, we really wanted to totally focus on the album one hundred percent so we figured going to Ashland, Oregon which is a beautiful little sanctuary completely surrounded by two massive mountain ranges, would help us close off to the rest of the world and just be “in it”. We could easily have recorded the album here for not much of a price difference and still had to work our day jobs in between sessions and deal with mundane crap all the while, but I think that would have had a very negative effect on the overall outcome. Not to mention the lack of a totally awesome studio full of vintage gear like Sylvia’s! The console we recorded on, for example, was her Neve 8038 which is the sister to Dave Grohl’s console featured in the documentary Sound City (I think Sylvia’s was in Studio B). We had to keep pinching ourselves!

ATO: What is the biggest thing you learnt working with Sylvia?

Ed: That top quality gear and the latest technologically advanced equipment doesn’t mean shit! All of Sylvia’s gear was either boutique and unique or just totally old school and vintage.

Luke: Half of her gear was broken but in the most beautiful way. Most studio owners would get that shit fixed because it has to be “perfect condition” but with Sylvia she loved those things that have grit and character! We love that as well. One of her favourite compressor units she has, nicknamed the “Army Man”, is totally broken and makes this gross distorted sound when cranked, but it handles guitars and everything so well with that bit of grit in there. It was nicknamed the Army Man because Serj from System of a Down put a little army man figurine inside it! Like I said – museum-spec studio! One of the bass cabinets as well had 6 speakers, 5 of which had holes in them! Totally unconventional but so great.

ATO: Has it got you thinking about what you might do next album?

Ed: Sylvia inspired us so much. She gave us so many new ideas and ways of thinking about our music, I think the next one will be very interesting!

Luke: all of her quirky production ideas and techniques really gave us a new perspective on the process.

ATO: How long did the process take?

Luke: We were in the studio for a whole month, six days a week. It sounded brutal at first but we couldn’t wait to get in there every day! If you count the years of lead-up to the album and the song writing, technically it took three years!

ATO: Did you have many songs that didn’t make the final cut? Will those ones, if any, make it on to something else?

Luke: Loads… we had about thirty songs or something that we add and cut over the years. Many of them very nearly made it. All the demos are saved somewhere, and bits of songs like riffs or lyrics usually jump ship to another song later on so who knows! They’re like our children, you always feel bad abandoning a new song or unfinished song!

ATO: How do you think the Filthy Lucre sound has changed?

Luke: We started out as a garage-blues rock band using only one guitar amp and basic drum kit… now we delve more into desert rock (or “stoner rock”) mixed with heavy blues and I use three amps at a time! We also added lots of weird instruments lately, such as the cigar-box guitar that we’ve kind of become known for. We didn’t do it as a gimmick or to be different, it just worked so well! It’s this little four-string handmade guitar made from an actual cigar box with one pickup, and it sounds so brutal so we just kept using it. We use it on our heaviest songs (like Boundless Plains, Hand Made, and Gotta Live etc). We also added didgeridoo to the title track Mara because I picked one up that is in the same key as the cigar box guitar, super low sounding.

ATO: Have the new songs taken on a new life since they have been recorded in rehearsals?

Ed: Definitely. I found myself sitting down for the first listen-back after mixing of each song and thinking “shit. I actually like these songs now!” We were really stressing out about the songs in the lead-up to going into the studio… worrying about tempos etc. But once it was printed and set in stone, we felt like they were finally “done”.

ATO: Are you looking forward to finally launching Mara?

Luke: Definitely. We’ve gone so long without releasing anything substantial, so it feels good to finally get an entire album out there full of the new stuff. We spent the last three years reluctantly selling the demo EP at shows, even though it totally doesn’t represent what we sound like now as we recorded that in my parent’s basement before playing our first ever show back in early 2012! That made it very hard to get shows and apply for festivals and get people to take us seriously. Now we’ve got something current and as good a quality as we could accomplish, hopefully it will push us further to new heights.

ATO: What inspired the name?

Ed: The name “Filthy Lucre” came from when we started out with the idea of being a two-piece cover band for cash on the side… Filthy Lucre is meant to mean like ‘dirty money’. We ended up canning the idea of being a cover band because we worked so well jamming and making up new stuff on the spot. That’s how we write all of our songs, it’s just a two-way conversation using instruments to talk.

Luke: We got the name for the album Mara from Buddhist teachings and discourse. I’ve studied it for some years now and one thing that stuck out was the character that turns up now and then during the story of the Buddha called Mara who is what you would probably call a ‘demon’, who tries to tempt him away from achieving enlightenment. Much of the subject matter of our songs on the album are about human evils like power and corruption and addiction etc, so it kind of fit.

ATO: What did you think when you got the masters back?

Ed: I didn’t think the songs could sound any better than what Sylvia did with the mix – but our mastering guy Maor Appelbaum just made them sound that little bit darker and more evil, which really suited the sound we were going for.

ATO: Where to from here, what’s next?

Luke: Well we’ve already started work on writing the second album! That hopefully won’t be too far away (not three years this time!). This year we are focusing on touring Europe and the U.S.A. and more of Australia and basically anywhere that we can! We’ve had good response already from Sweden, Germany, France and Spain with reviewers giving us great feedback, and it’s not even officially out yet! Fingers are crossed! - Across The Ocean (Australia)

It’s appropriate that local duo Filthy Lucre travelled to the US to record their debut album, Mara, a release that’s drenched in the Delta blues and with a garage rock aesthetic, reminiscent of the early material from The Black Keys and The White Stripes. It’s an honest, edgy recording, delivered with fat riffs, tight grooves and a whole lot of soul. Listening to Mara feels like a late night juke-joint with a bourbon in your hand.

It’s not all Americana though; like the Oils and John Butler before them, Filthy Lucre take inspiration from the blues while still managing a distinctly Australian flavour (frontman, Luke Marsh even incorporates some Didgeridoo into the title track). And also like those antecedents, the Adelaide duo knows that good rock’n’roll is more than just boy-meets-girl tunes, with a meaty, political edge to the songwriting (something that was once at the heart of our pub rock scene but, with a few exceptions, has sadly gone AWOL in recent years).

Filthy LucreThose who have had the pleasure of witnessing the band live will be familiar with the big sound they are capable of pumping out; it’s often hard to believe there’s only two of them up on stage. Mara effectively captures the energy of their performance in the studio, the music here sounds best at high volume or through the headphones. And while it all appears to take a simple, honest approach, there are also some complex subtleties to the song crafting that makes for a satisfying listen. Probably the most endearing characteristic of the music is the undeniable chemistry between the pair, heard through the symbiotic relationship between Luke Marsh’s riffs and Ed Noble’s drumming: they genuinely sound like a band.

For a debut album, Mara is a remarkably consistent effort with a number of highlights. ‘Dover Street’ is a solid opener, with strong riff-work setting the template for the LP, while ‘World Corp’ follows up with some catchy groove.

‘Hand Made’ is a two-parter representative of the album as a whole: Part 1, featuring cowbell and slide guitar, drips with old school character before moving into the high energy riffs of Part 2. There’s then some effective space in the arrangement of ‘Brokebottle Blues’, its diverse sounds allow an interesting soundscape to build.

‘Boundless Plains’ is the high point of the album, a pacey number with frenetic guitar licks and fuelled by political invective (and appropriately introduced by the didgeridoo in the preceding instrumental title track).

A cover of AWOLNATION’s electro-synth track ‘Sail’ works surprisingly well, effectively reinterpreting the song in hard rock fashion. The piano at the end also provides a nice counterpoint to rest of the material on the album.

Mara is a very accomplished calling card from a local outfit who are deserving of our attention. It’s exciting to think that they’ll only get better from here. - The Upside News (Australia)

I gotta say this album right here was a big surprise for me. I didn’t see it coming, January saw a lot of good releases, but not really UBER-AWESOME ones… Well, that was only until I discovered Filthy Lucre‘s debut album, “Mara“.

Why ? Because this duo from Adelaide, Australia just blew me away with their insane riffs, fully loaded with an immense dose of fuzzy heaviness & bluesy groove, and that killer “punch-in-your-face” production (by Sylvia Massy, known for her work with Tool, Johnny Cash, System Of A Down, and many many more famous artists), like a forced invitation to headbang with all the energy you have left in your body !

I like duos in Rock in general because it’s most of the time a very direct sound, a music alchemy formed by 2 souls rockin’ together who decided to give all they have, expressing themselves fully via the power of the music ! As always, some do it better than others, some have just more talent, and this is the case with Luke (vocals, guitar) and Edward (drums), forming together “Filthy Lucre” !

One thing that strikes you the first time you press play on “Dover Street“, is this huge Fuzz guitar sound. And I know every fuzzer reading this blog will instantly love it, eager for hearing what’ll be coming next. Well, let me tell you you won’t be disappointed ! Be ready for 14 tracks of the most catchy riffs I haven’t heard since Royal Blood album in 2014.

These 2 Aussies really understood how to create great rock songs, layering perfectly between powerful & melodic vocals parts, some calmer parts, and uber-heavy riffs. The “little discussions” happening between the guitar, the vocals and the drums are also very interesting. The whole album flows in fact very easily, each song is like connected to the next one, and you see they weren’t thrown like this, in no particular order.

Another point I only briefly mentioned in my introduction, is this very enjoyable appeal Filthy Lucre has with the blues. Especially in the calmer parts/songs, like in “Hand Made [Part 1]” or “Take It Slow”. Sometimes you’ll also hear some bottleneck slides like in “Devil Man” or”Hand Made [Part 2]”. And here and there you’ll spot a killer bluesy rhythm, like in the last track of the album, “Just A Little”, where you can literally hear a heavier version of the riff from The Black Keys’s song, “I’ve Got Mine“.

Filthy Lucre really has the potential to hit it big, very big, at least I hope they do. Mara is indeed a killer album, the musicianship is strong, the riffs are full of fuzz, full of groove, play it loud and enjoy the headbangs fussers !

Why is this album worth listening to ?
- Best duo I have heard since Royal Blood.
- Face-melting fuzzy riffs.
- Fuzz + Blues = UBER-AWESOMENESS !
- Catchy vocals. - More Fuzz (France)

Mara, disco de estreia dos australianos do Filthy Lucre é um álbum para se ouvir de pé – ou, pelo menos, batendo o pézinho. Apesar de polida, a produção preserva um quê do clima de garagem do duo, e o fuzz da guitarra se mistura ao blues clássico de maneira enérgica e dançante. As músicas são construídas através dos riffs agitados e do ritmo bem definido da bateria. Mas, a mais notável qualidade é a química entre o guitarrista e vocalista Luke Marsh e o baterista Edward Noble.

Após EPs gravados no porão de casa e apresentações ao lado de nomes como Truckfighters, os dois viajaram até os Estados Unidos para gravar as quatorze faixas, em um estúdio cercado por bosques e montanhas. A produção é de Sylvia Massy, que já assinou discos de Johnny Cash, Tool, System of a Down e por aí vai. Mesmo com tanto renome, ainda se deixa soar o chiado das guitarras. O resultado saiu em 30 de janeiro, com o nítido equilíbrio entre capricho na produção e timbres orgânicos.

Filthy Lucre absorveu elementos tipicamente estadunidenses, marcantes do delta blues, um dos estilos de blues mais clássicos. Dá até pra dizer que o álbum tem duas estéticas distintas, mas interligadas ao longo do play: o desert rock quase puro, pra balançar a cabeça, com riffs tocados a todo volume é o que dá cara à Mara; mas estruturas de blues, cadenciadas e mais intimistas também estão presentes o tempo todo.

Começa numa pancada, com Dover Street, World Corp e Devil Man. Hand Made – single lançado em 2014 e regravado em duas faixas para Mara – é a primeira quebra. É melódica, e faz uso da característica slide guitar dos blueseiros da década de 50. Broke Bottle Blues segue ao mesmo estilo.

A primeira grande quebra é Mara, faixa-título instrumental. Edward Noble larga as baquetas para fazer uma percussão mais tribal, assim como fazem as cordas da canção. Mara reforça as raízes australianas da dupla, que usa até o didjeridu, instrumento típico dos aborígenes do país. A arte do álbum parece evocar traços desta cultura também.

Depois, temos a política Boundless Plains, que fala da hipocrisia do governo australiano (mas se aplica a vários outros, convenhamos). O disco segue nesta mesma pegada até seu final, gradualmente diminuindo o ritmo sem perder a força. Os riffs com fuzz permanecem até o final, em estruturas agora mais lentas. A voz, que antes era enérgica, também torna-se mais introspectiva, sem perder a já mencionada sintonia com o restante do instrumental. - Wall Of Yawn (Spain)

Well, I've listened to Mara back to back, and then again after taking a break, and I've been sat here for a while wondering what to say, I mean, there is so much going on with this album!

Its obvious that Filthy Lucre has put its heart and soul into Mara, from obtaining the services of producer Sylvia Massey (Tool, System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Johnny Cash) right down to the illustration and Artwork of Muhamad Lukmanul Hakim. This duo has left no stone unturned......and its the same with the most important aspect of any album, the music within. You name it, Mara has it. Blues, funk, psychedelic, stoner, often during the same track, but not only that, you can be transported back to the 70's, 80's and 90's at the same time, such is the variation here. Even so, Filthy Lucre never lets Mara unravel, keeping each track on a tight leash, but just about pliant enough for you to feel a sharp nip if you step a little too close. However, if you get REALLY close then the searing riffs will feel like a blowtorch to the face.

Filthy Lucre deserves the utmost credit for Mara. The band has managed to maintain a remarkably high standard through fourteen tracks when most other bands would have fallen by the wayside with at least two 'fillers'. I'm not going to say which is my favourite track on the album, because such is the quality and diversity, it will be different tomorrow........and the day after that. I only have room to play one track on Grip of Delusion Radio this Saturday, but I really want to play them all. - The Shrieks From Below (United Kingdom)

"Dark, dirty. fuzz fuelled riff-rock with just enough of the blues to get you moving' and grooving"

Australia produces some really great and interesting music, I still love The Sleepy Jackson, I don't believe there's a person on this planet that will hear Ash Grunwalds 'walking' and not want to shake the cobwebs off their ass, and if you really need further proof, well, there's Mara by Filthy Lucre.

Filthy Lucre are a two piece from Adelaide and they've just released an album they travelled to Oregon to record, and for a duo they make quite the noise, groove driven stoner riffs an' all. Opener 'Dover Street' sets up perfectly whats in store over the 14 tracks, a solid riff with a hint of the blues reminiscent of a slowed down QOTSA, and follow on track 'World Corp' reminds you of a time way back when The Black Keys made more interesting records. Its a template for the album as a whole, Ed Noble's drum work and beats are solid and reliably heavy and intertwine perfectly on tracks like "Boundless Plains' and 'Feelin' Down', this is all wrapped together nicely by great vocals by guitarist Luke Marsh.

Theres plenty to enjoy, and whats laid down here has got to sound electric live, theres a sense of enjoyment by the band in these grooves and i think touring time outside of Australia can only be a good thing. You can hear Mara on the bandcamp page, you can also buy a digital download or CD, I recommend you do. - Atom Heart Mutha (United Kingdom)

Το Αυστραλιανό ντουέτο των Filthy Lucre ηχογράφησε το semi-concept album του «Mara» στις Η.Π.Α και αυτό έχει άμεσο αντίκτυπο στον ήχο του, καθώς έδώ έχουμε να κάνουμε με έναν άκρως χορταστικό heavy blues δίσκο. 14 fuzzαριστές και groovy συνθέσεις με άφθονες μελωδίες βγαλμένες απο το Δέλτα («Feelin’ Down») αλλά όχι μόνο. Το εισαγωγικό «Dover Street» αλλά και τα «Devil Man» και «Boundless Plains» αποτελούν τα προσωπικά μου highlights, με τις υπόλοιπες συνθέσεις να ακούγονται το ίδιο ευχάριστα. Η διασκευή στο «Sail» του electronic/dance σχήματος AWOLNATION αποτελεί σίγουρα έκπληξη, δείχνει όμως και την πρόθεση των Αυστραλών να έχουν τα αυτιά και -το κυριότερο- τα μυαλά τους ανοιχτά. Με έντονα ψυχεδελικά και desert rock στοιχεία, αυτοί οι 2 κύριοι απο την Αδελαίδα δείχνουν να έχουν όλο το μέλλον μπροστά τους. - Rock Your Life (Greece)

Australia es ese gran desconocido. Una isla enorme en el Pacífico con la que parece que nadie ha contado nunca excepto para enviar a sus esclavos y poco más. Pero Oceanía es algo más que una mera isla, y más si la analizamos desde el punto de vista del rock. Conjuntos que todo el mundo conoce, como AC/DC, son de allí, al igual que Flea, famoso bajista de Red Hot Chili Peppers, o los ya desaparecidos Jet, la banda de hard rock Airbourne y, por supuesto, Wolfmother. Sin embargo, por sus carreteras hay muchas joyas desconocidas, como este conjunto que os presentamos hoy: Filthy Lucre.


Estamos ante un dúo de stoner rock, hard rock y blues, que nos trae distorsión y riffs a través de un debut notable que pocas bandas son capaces de concebir enmarcado como primer disco. Lucas Marsh (guitarra y voces) y Ed Noble (batería) han pasado de ir por bares haciendo versiones a lanzarse a la piscina con catorce temas propios, y no les podría haber salido mejor, pues a la vista está que son dos músicos que se entienden a la perfección. Con influencias claras de grupos como Fu Manchu nos traen este “Mara”, producido por Sylvia Massy (Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, System of a Down).

Una furgoneta que arranca y empezamos el viaje. “Dover Street” es una declaración de intenciones en toda regla. Ritmo contundente y sin un respiro para descansar, nos muestra de qué son capaces dos chicos cuando se juntan con una guitarra y una batería. El riff no es de lo más brillante, pero la estructura de la canción hace que el disco empiece bien. Con “World Corp” no ocurre lo mismo. Un riff sencillo y sin florituras, pero que convence desde el principio, especialmente por la voz que le pone Lucas Marsh. Pero, por encima de todo, el trabajo de Ed Noble es de manual, muy a destacar durante todo el disco ante la ausencia de un bajo. Aquí ya recuerdan al mejor stoner del desierto, con notas graves y unos agudos chirriantes, pero sobre todo mucha distorsión, muy en la línea de Fu Manchu.

Por si os lo preguntabais, sí, aquí también hay coros. En “Devil Man” queda patente, un tema con distintos riffs, permitiéndose incluso el lujo de usar slide, lo que provoca que el disco vaya en crescendo, con canciones cada vez mejores. “Hand Made”, por su parte, está dividido en dos composiciones. En la primera volvemos a tener la técnica de slide, que nos hace viajar hasta las mismas marismas de Louisiana, para bien o para mal, pues a quien le guste este estilo le encantará el tema. Sin embargo, a quien no, se le atragantará como uno de los más lentos y aburridos del LP… Y ahora sí, con la segunda parte regresa el mejor rock de los australianos. Con un ritmo frenético te vuelve a meter en el disco como mejor saben: a base de riffs. Pero no sólo son eso, porque son dos músicos que se hacen valer por una banda de más componentes, logrando algo muy difícil, como es que no echemos de menos ningún instrumento.

En su gran mayoría, siempre hay alguna canción que destaque por encima de las demás, ese peso pesado con el que te quedas para cuando acabe el disco, o aquel que repites antes de que termine. De ser así, “Broke Bottle Blues” sería el de “Mara”. Es como un buen whisky cuando llega al estómago, como un viaje con tus amigos en el que sabes que sólo van a pasar cosas buenas y sólo importa el trayecto, la aventura. Lento y con un golpe firme de bombo, eres consciente de que los acordes te van a golpear, sabes cuándo van a llegar… pero es de lo que más ganas tienes. Sólo hay que esperar.

Continúa el disco con “Mara”, una canción de paso con sintetizador de la que no hay nada más que decir. Seguimos, y si ya mencionábamos antes el trabajo de Ed Noble a la batería, en “Bloundles Plains” incluso más. Un golpeo rápido y conciso que se lleva todo el protagonismo a pesar de tener uno de los mejores riffs de todo el disco y ser de las más cañeras. En cuanto a “Moonshine”, ésta nos muestra el mejor blues rock del elepé, recordando a formaciones como Black Keys o Blues Pills, orientados más hacia el rock que al blues. Aquí cabe mencionar a Lucas Marsh por la mezcla que ejecuta de guitarra rítmica y solista en un pequeño solo que queda a la perfección, sin necesitar grandes virtuosismos ni solos rápidos.

Y si antes mencionábamos a los Black Keys, aquí casi podríamos decir que esta pieza podrían haberla firmado Auerbach y Carney. “Take It Slow” va en aumento, empezando en un medio tiempo y acabando por hacernos saltar con una de las mejores composiciones del disco, muy electrizante y cálida. “Feelin’ Down” acerca el final del LP, el cual parece que ha ido de menos a más, regresando con otra dosis de energía y puro rock and roll a través de un estribillo potente y ‘rompecuellos’, que hará que los más bailongos lo disfruten al máximo. También tienen tiempo para meter otro slide, esta vez con guitarra acústica. “Gotta Live” empieza más fuerte que cualquier otra. Nos acercamos al final, sí, pero de qué manera. Cada vez más entonados, parece que los australianos se han desatado y nos están ofreciendo todo su arsenal a base de potentes riffs, cada vez más rápidos, más pegadizos y con más matices a destacar. Son esos los detalles que hacen a un disco sobresalir por encima del resto, al igual que saber cerrarlo y, teniendo en cuenta que este es un debut, sólo se le puede alabar. “Sail” viene para ofrecer lo mismo, esta vez con efectos de distorsión en las voces que enguarran todavía más la distorsión de la guitarra, algo que encantará a los amantes del fuzz.

Ahora sí, “Just a Little” pone el punto y final al disco. Ocho intensos minutos de rock como sólo estos australianos recién descubiertos saben hacer, con esa mezcla exquisita del mejor blues y el mejor rock que les hace uno de los grupos revelación sin lugar a dudas. Y lo consiguen con ocho minutos que no aburren, especialmente cuando el ritmo de la pista se mueve a terrenos más eléctricos, donde se desenvuelven como pez en el agua con apenas un par de acordes perfectamente encajados y enlazados entre sí. El broche de oro para un disco debut como no muchas veces se ven, con buenas composiciones, extenso y, sorprendentemente, creado por tan sólo dos músicos. Aunque eso es algo que evidentemente puede restar puntos, al echarse en falta mayor riqueza y detalles sonoros como por el hecho de evitar tocar la guitarra en gran cantidad de partes cantadas, lo que provoca que la estructura se repita (o dé esa impresión) durante varias canciones. Pero sin duda se trata de un gran disco de una banda muy a tener en cuenta; sólo el tiempo dirá si son capaces de mantener el ritmo en la carrera de fondo del rock and roll. - El Quinto Beatle (Spain)

Η Αυστραλία είναι μια απομονωμένη χώρα που κατά τα παρελθόντα χρόνια είχε να μας επιδείξει ελάχιστα συγκροτήματα όπως τους κολοσσούς AC/DC και τους Rose Tattoo. Στο πέρασμα των χρόνων όμως αυτό άλλαξε και οι Αυστραλοί έχουν να επιδείξουν μερικά εξαιρετικά σχήματα ή, για να ακριβολογώ, στα αυτιά μας πλέον φτάνουν τα εξαιρετικά της συγκροτήματα όπως οι Arrowhead, Clagg, Lizzard Wizzard, Yanomamo και εσχάτως οι Filthy Lucre που θα μας απασχολήσουν σε αυτές τις γραμμές με το ντεμπούτο τους. Ένα ντεμπούτο-μάλαμα από τους Filthy Lucre είναι το “Mara”, μια όαση σε όσους αγαπάνε τον desert/stoner rock ήχο και την hard rockin’ γκρούβα.

Το “Mara” σε πολλά σημεία του μου θυμίζει τους Hermano και πολύ περισσότερο τους The Heavy Eyes, μιας και ήχος στις κιθάρες είναι σχεδόν ο ίδιος με το συγκρότημα από το Tennessee! Riffs ξυράφια, slide στις κιθάρες, μαγκιόρικα φωνητικά και μια southern rock αύρα διέπουν το album και οποίος παρά την μεγάλη του διάρκεια δεν καταντάει βαρετός ούτε στο ελάχιστο, Αυστραλοί βλέπετε και οι τύποι από εκεί κάτω νιώθουν πολύ! Κομμάτια σαν τα “World Corp”, “Devil Man”, “Mara”, “Moonshine” είναι ενδεικτικά ως προς το πώς ακούγεται ο δίσκος.

Το “Mara” των Filthy Lucre απευθύνεται σε όσους και όσες θέλουν να περάσουν καλά ακούγοντας ποιοτικό heavy rock διάρκειας περίπου μιας ώρας και να πιουν μια και δυο και τρεις μπύρες όση ώρα το δισκάκι θα στριφογυρίζει! - Rockin' Athens (Greece)

(excerpt)
... Next up was Filthy Lucre, a heavy rock duo from Adelaide. When they took to the stage I was getting a beverage, what I thought I heard was four people but I was presently surprised to find two musicians jamming out. Filthy Lucre has mastered a full sound with only two members; the resonances I heard were fat and the riffs were flavorsome. As the set continued, the drum performance from Ed Noble was so ferocious that a cymbal was cracked in the process. I was further impressed by the huge tones emanating from Luke Marsh’s unique cigar-box guitar... - For The Love Of Music (Australia)

(excerpt)
... Following Inwoods’ belting set was Filthy Lucre; a two-piece band who might blow your mind if you’re not careful.

Drummer Ed Noble looked to be having crazy amounts of fun, thumping out beats to complement Luke Marsh’s vocals and guitar; his joy was infectious and soon there was a crowd building in the narrow space in the bar.

Both Ed and Luke know their instruments entirely, which makes their brand of stoner rock an exceptional listen and a visual treat.

Luke and Ed impressing the hoards.
Luke and Ed impressing the hoards.
Among his range of guitars, Luke played a cigar-box guitar giving a fuller sound to an already bursting live experience.

Filthy Lucre warmed up the crowd to boiling point; they’re the band you want opening for you, but it’s doubtful they’ll be supporting for long – they have a massive future ahead of them.

After the two support acts tore up the stage, there was barely any ground left for headliner Truckfighters to cover – but they disproved that pretty quickly... - The Upside News (Australia)