We refuse to give Paul James Coutts over to Edmonton. We will always consider him a prodigal son - any time he comes back to Calgary, we welcome him with open arms. Especially because he continues to make exceptional rock musicks. Case and point, the guitar and drums juggernaut that was Twin Fangs - to us, it was like the Bittermen playing the Primrods. Or the Primrods playing the Bittermen, either of which we would be perfectly happy with. Their first CD, Quelque Chose - a bunch of the tracks on here were originally XL Birdsuit tunes that later saw the light of day on [url=https://calgarycassettes.org/recording_detail/kisses-xl-birdsuit]that band's Kisses posthumous release[/url]. It's an excellent, muscular but smart disc that continues the trajectory Coutts was following from the Primrods, through the New 1-2 and XL. Edmonton is lucky to have him. [center][img width=402px]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1771819847877x211050592073516600/richtext_content.jpeg[/img][/center] [center][/center] [h2]TWIN FANGS[/h2] [h3]Quelque chose[/h3] Rectangle Records • In a wonderful alternate universe, Twin Fangs are The White Stripes. Check 'em out October 16 at the Liberty Lounge. Some argue that Calgary's The Primrods were never the same after Paul Coutts got the boot. I've heard scenesters debate that point ad nauseum every time Coutts steps to the mic with a new band. I always liked The New 1-2, but there was some- thing to be said for the sparse nature of P1 solo and the super- group status of XL Birdsuit. However, none of those incarnations holds a candle to the sonic blitzkrieg of his new outfit Twin Fangs and the new album Quelque Chose. These seven songs blast out of the speakers like Coutts is playing an over-saturated guitar with an old dime through a blown-out amp (for the record, a good thing). Fusing the sexy groove of Girls Against Boys and the soulful swagger of The Make-Up with serrated guitars and relentless drumming by the band's only other member, Penny Tentiary, the album is a muscular full-throttle miracle. There's a lot going on here despite the two- member roster, but it's Coutts's trademark yelp that takes you out every time. Sometimes hitting you dead between the eyes, sometimes sucker-punching you in the gut and sometimes (inexplicably) gripping your loins, in all cases his aim is deadly true. JASON LEWIS
