The Checks
Hunting Whales
Sony BMG

The Checks, the latest hot young thing from the Devonport scene (The Veils, The Electric Confectionaries, and NKOTB White Birds And Lemons) drop their debut, Hunting Whales. And it’s a healthy dose of merry old rock and roll. The boys, who wear their Zeppelin/The Who/Rolling Stones influences on their sleeves, appropriately migrated to London to record Hunting Whales. Producer Ian Broudie did a good job of capturing on compact disc the energy and fun of The Checks live performance, evident in tracks like laddish sing-a-long “Tired Of Sleeping”.
 
The singles taken from the album are fairly representational of what to expect from the LP, but where The Checks truly excel are the tracks where they add colour to the blues driven rock and roll they are known for. With a little more flair present on tracks like “Terribly Easy” the album hints that there is more to The Checks then the sum of their favourite bands.

A simple and fun rock and roll record, the band doesn’t stray too far from their roots, but have just enough quirks that bode well for more creative future releases.

Review by Alex