Album Review: The Growl - What Would Christ Do??

There's an old phrase – apparently since co-opted by American Idol – that some people could sing the phone book and it would still sound good. It's hard to tell where that phrase came from (and who's to say that hearing someone sing the phone book wouldn't sound okay anyway?) but Cam Avery, lead singer of ramshackle Perth outfit The Growl (also a member of recent chaos pop darlings Pond and Allbrook/Avery as well as the former drummer for Abbe May), is in possession of a set of pipes that would probably tear strips off the old White Pages.

With one foot firmly in the Tom Waits camp and the other in some kind of murky Drones-ish, Black Keys territory, the enigmatically titled What Would Christ Do?? (yes, two question marks, thanks very much) is a perfect showcase for Avery's gravelly disposition – in voice and song. He ably leads his merry men through a collection of meticulously put together grunt work, which kicks off with the barnstorming Eleven – an almost industrial number featuring guitar work reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys' Favourite Worst Nightmare. The Growl recently toured the US and locally with fellow Fremantle dwellers Tame Impala – but there is very little of that band's psychedelic edge on show here. Often zigging just when you think they'll zag, tracks like NIFYWTLWOE showcase an electronic element among the barnstorming percussion and jagged keys on show elsewhere. Despite some obvious comparisons, there's an honest to badness individualist streak at play here and if Avery and co. can stay focussed on this endeavour for long enough to gain some momentum, he may well have something pretty special on his hands.