Hornet Leg sound so different on each of their releases that they could be the work of entirely separate bands, and that's almost true: the group's founder, Chris Sutton, has been the only constant through incarnations as art noise, garage rock, and melancholy pop outfits. The version of
Hornet Leg that recorded
Ribbon of Fear features Sutton, bassist Bob Desaluniers, and drummer Robert Comitz, and they settled on a sound that borrows a little bit from everywhere the band has been before. "Wait!" and "Ruined My Life"'s catchy, self-deprecating wit gives the album indie pop underpinnings, but a lot of punk attitude roughs up these songs. Things never get quite as raw or unhinged as they did on the
Blood Trilogy EP, but "We're So Ugly" and the gleefully raunchy "Savage" show
Hornet Leg haven't deserted nasty rock entirely. Sutton's slightly slurred, (mostly) charmingly off-key vocals suggest a young
Mick Jagger, Mark E. Smith, or K Records founder
Calvin Johnson at different times, which only adds to his band's versatility. They sound especially fun and convincing as a '60s beat combo, covering Larry & the Blue Notes' morbidly mischievous "Night of the Phantom,"
the Who's "Circles" (which they slow down to a hypnotic grind), and the Luv'd Ones' "I'm Leaving You" with all the spontaneity of a raw live set. Arty tangents like "Snake Oil" and "My Baby" show that the band still doesn't like to stick with one sound for too long, and the moments when Sutton's voice wanders too far away from the key of any given song make
Ribbon of Fear an occasionally challenging listen. However, no matter how rough the album's edges get, there's still something pretty appealing about
Hornet Leg's willingness to take any sound that inspires them and make it their own. ~ Heather Phares