Album Review: Cairo Knife Fight, Cairo Knife Fight II

6:30 AM Saturday Aug 20, 2011

Album cover for Cairo Knife Fight II. Photo / Supplied

This four-track EP by multi-instrumentalist Nick Gaffaney and former Weta frontman Aaron Tokona invokes the sound of instruments that are about to fall apart - but you can be sure they never will.

It's brilliantly unhinged, hallucinatory, and riff-fired music. Opener The Violence of Action - with its mantra "No one gives a damn" - has the most monumental, chest-beating riff to come out of Kiwi rock in years; hammering single The Origin of Slaves recalls Weta's Calling On and while The Opiate of the Living offers a chance for a breather it's still a heavy, agitating beast.

These songs will leave you feeling like a rock 'n' roll animal, also a little bemused about how two people can conjure up such a powerful and relentless racket - and you may even feel inspired to start wearing a psychedelic rock & roll headband a la Tokona.

Stars: 5/5

- TimeOut

By Scott Kara @scottkara

Mams (New Zealand) | 09:13AM Friday, 26 Aug 2011

Why oh why were these guys so crap when they supported Them Crooked Vultures in Wellington last year? I thought they were embarrassing. Must be different now?

Andy () | 10:27AM Sunday, 04 Sep 2011

Hmmm. I saw them the next day with TCV in Auckland and they got a standing ovation - blew the house down. I went out the next day and got my hands on every CKF track I could buy.

seaweed (Taranaki) | 08:51AM Friday, 07 Oct 2011

Yeah these guy rock. I saw them before HLAH and same deal went out and bought every album.