Table Scraps - Autonomy

Rating:

This garage psych troupe are further down and significantly dirtier than before.

Birmingham three-piece Table Scraps are a savage proposition, a group whose raucous noise concoctions sound less like songs and more like chance incantations to summon the devil himself. On second LP 'Autonomy', the menace is raised, the bar is higher; this garage psych troupe are further down and significantly dirtier than before. Like The Cramps, The Misfits and Screaming Lord Sutch before them, a kinda spooky aura encompasses the band; they’re not frightening, or unlistenably scary, but the enjoyment of their sound is greatly enhanced by the Halloween spectres that haunt this record and give it its own unique strut.

A 29-minute blast of lysergic darkness, Table Scraps are an unstoppable force. Their guitars wail like banshees and their drums sound like they’re beaten to within an inch of their life. Maybe the lead single should have been taken as a deadly warning; 'My Obsession', complete with its retro 3D video, lit up the middle of 2017 like a call to arms. Vicious drums are entwined with a bewitching bassline whilst vocals that are chanted like hexes.

There’s much of this creepy, sleazy delivery throughout the record, as tracks like 'Lyin’ Thru Yer Teeth' pounce and prance with a malignant grace, like a hunting werewolf or a feasting vampire crawling through the crannies opened up by animalistic guitar twangs.

Perhaps Table Scraps aren’t outlaws themselves, perhaps they don’t feast on the blood and souls of those more mortal than them, but on this record they position themselves as cartoon monsters barking beastly themes throughout the night. From the ghostridin’ country garage epic of 'More Than You Need Me' to the simple, yet malevolent cries of “I am Frankenstein! I am Frankenstein!” on the track of the same name, Table Scraps have a monopoly on sabretoothed garage rock joy. Cal Cashin