Real Farmer’s Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right reminds you how much life there still is in bass guitar-driven Fall-esque post-punk despite its very recent (and probably temporary) decline. There are traces of dozens of great bands buried amongst the tracks, but the achievement is how naturally those influences collide.
The bass guitar dominates much of the album, dragging the songs into that post-punk territory. “Missing Link” shakes with the wiry energy of early Cure and Magazine. The heavy backing vocals lurking underneath towards the end of the track give it something even darker, almost theatrical in places, like a scene from Eyes Wide Shut.
A danceable quality runs through much of the album. “9 Till Not Alright” has the kind of sharp, twitchy musicianship that made early Talking Heads records so addictive, while the vocal delivery leans into the inevitable Iggy Pop realm. Real Farmer understands an important truth about punk- the music itself doesn’t have to be trashy or scratchy. It should make you want to move as much as it makes you want to break something.
Even when the band slows things down slightly, they never lose their grip. “System” drops into a ska and reggae-influenced drum beat, but the bass remains heavy and central. The biggest surprise is the vocal performance, which slips so close to Robert Smith at points that it’s uncanny. It never crosses into parody, though. Instead, it adds another layer to an album already overflowing with different strains of punk history.
There is something laddish about “Sob Story”. The shouted vocals sound like a room full of football supporters from London convincing themselves that they won’t bottle it this time. Punk has always had that rough communal edge to it, from pub sing-alongs to drunken chants. I can imagine Stamford Bridge terraces giving a rendition of Damaged Goods by Gang Of Four, for example. “Sob Story” captures this quality.
“Settle” opens with drums that immediately recall Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”, before Real Farmer throw themselves back into punk chaos. The album has been described elsewhere as a mish-mash of the members’ ideas, but the clearest idea running through it is simpler than that. Real Farmer have studied what made classic punk and post-punk albums work, then reworked those influences to produce something familiar and exciting. It may not redefine the genre, but it absolutely understands it.
By the time “Heart Out” arrives, the energy feels almost insatiable. The album barely pauses for breath before “Beggars Hymn” slides into a more laid-back groove carrying echoes of Bad Brains without ever abandoning the band’s core post-punk drive. “Run By Animals”. “Judas” closes things in a frantic fashion, going through a modicum of tempos and moods.
Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right thrives on its deep understanding of its roots and the creative drive of a group of passionate devotees to punk rock. Real Farmer take the grooves and chaos of classic punk and post-punk and throw it together with enough energy to make it feel fresh again. It is loud, danceable and unpretentious- the sound of a band more interested in (physically) moving its audience than producing a polished effort.
