Album Review: Useless Coordinates by Drahla

A meticulous debut from the Leeds trio, who juggle razor-sharp control with barely contained chaos, this is a New York 'no wave'-inspired triumph Take the abrasive edge of New York post-punk and teleport it across to the Atlantic 'til it's gleefully lounging on bunting-strewn Leeds rooftop, and you land somewhere near Drahla. Now based between South London and Wakefield, this band channel familiar musical touchstones - Sonic Youth, Television, Pylon - and likewise, they approach their band like a multi-form art project. Constantly swapping instruments, launching into cacophonous saxophone solos courtesy of Chris Duffin of XAM Duo, and putting out avant-garde music videos that resemble conceptual installations, they also share a few rules (or rather, anti-rules) with New York City's ‘no wave’ movement.

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As we all know from that junk-science email your mom forwarded you back in 2003, our brains recognize the overall shape of a word as much as its proper letter sequence, allowing us to read sentences even if the words cnoaitn a bcunh of typos. The music of Drahla inspires a similar game of mental gymnastics. On the one hand, the Leeds trio embraces the brevity and ferocity you'd expect from self-professed Wire fans.

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'A ncient Egypt in the palm of my hand," sings Luciel Brown on Pyramid Estate. Claiming to wield the power of an entire civilisation is a hell of a bold gambit for a band's first album. But the rugged post-punk of Drahla's Useless Coordinates is so potent, it might just raise the pharaohs right out of their tombs. The Leeds three-piece - Brown (vocals/guitar), Rob Riggs (bass) and Mikey Ainsley (drums) - forge their arrangements from scratchy-yet-melodious chord progressions, riffs more jagged than a mountain range, mean basslines and their singer's hushed yet swaggering performance.

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