Eat - Sell Me A God (1989)

Brawling, smart, and sly, Eat became one of the lesser-known treats of late-'80s U.K. rock in its first incarnation, not quite as intense as its near contemporaries the Fatima Mansions, but generally just as loud and whipcrack snarling. The quintet's full-length debut, Sell Me a God, demonstrates that much throughout its hour-long course. With Ange Dolittle's strong but not overwrought vocals up front detailing such things as the travails of "Mr. and Mrs. Smack" or the landscape of bums, drink, and boredom with scratching expensive cars in "Red Moon," the rest of the band finds itself someplace between early That Petrol Emotion and a bluesy rampage to dwell in. To make another connection, if World Domination Enterprises was more full-on and bass heavy, Eat still had the chops and groove to make its own particular mark, detailing an urban world just as chaotic and collapsing. The guitar duo of Paul and Max Nobel takes definite charge, the brothers playing off each other just enough as the songs fire up and rout along, sometimes with deceptive calm but often with full speed intact. That Ange Dolittle resists the temptation to scream hoarsely over the din, instead trusting on his natural singing gifts to carry through the mix, as on the brilliantly threatening "Walking Man," gives a sense as to the members' ear for each others' abilities. His amusing carny shtick on the surprisingly pretty "Fatman" and a turn as a preacher from hell on "Skin" shows that he can role-play with panache, letting just enough Nick Cave style in without letting it overwhelm him. Rhythm section Tim Sewell (bass) and Pete Howard (drums) hold up their own, the latter able to hit things both simple and straightforward and with extra touches building fills, funky percussion in the back, and more to keep the tempos and atmospheres constantly shifting.