And Finally

Three cheers for Peter Fleming. The former Scheer bassist is the man responsible for the band's second album finally seeing the light of day, four years after their debut, Infliction, and a year and a half since they split up. . . And Finally makes for a wonderful post-Christmas gift for any Scheer fan, myself included, who feared that the album would linger forever in the vaults of former label, 4AD. However, those nice people across the water decided to license it to Peter's Schism label and lo and behold, we get to salivate all over Neal Calderwood's searing guitars and Audrey Gallagher's sweet vocals all over again. Hurray!

The album opens with 'Deadly Serious' and you can already hear their intent: the bass and drums pound along incessantly, the guitar is so hot it could leave scorch marks on your stereo, and Audrey's voice is beautifully sweet, although she's still capable of a good sneer every now and then.

'6AM' is bubblegum pop dressed up with buzzsaw guitars and breakneck drums; 'Face The Sun' mixes crunchy hooks with My Bloody Valentine-like ether; the melancholy 'Where Were You When The House Burnt Down' is, despite its title, as close as Scheer could ever come to radio-friendly. 'Mercy' sees the band expanding their emotional range, maintaining a tight grip on the arrangement and never letting the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere spill over into a full-on noisefest.

The real jewel in the crown, though, is 'Say What You Came To Say', a hair-raising ballad which is on a par with anything they have previously released. Audrey's vocals are given centre stage, with only Neal's acoustic guitar for accompaniment, proving what is not always apparent within the maelstrom of noise that makes up vintage Scheer: this woman has a fabulous voice.

. . . And Finally is a belated but no less welcome treat from one of the finest Irish bands of the last decade. While listening to its serrated melodies is tinged with a sense of regret that the band are no more, we can at least be thankful that it finally got a proper release.