Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Uthanda (pronounced Oo-tanda) had a goodish album out on Blonde Vinyl last year (like all that company's intriguing releases unissued in the UK) and now the band move to the revamped Broken Records (now under the fatherly oversight of Maranatha! Music). They're a pokey, all-out rock band featuring a good, rough edged vocalist in Robert Beeson and a solid, no-nonsense drummer, Chuck Cummings (who previously worked with Common Bond and Split Level). Uthanda's influences are varied 60s beat groups through to REM, but never descend to mere pastiche, while their lyrics are hearteningly positive even if some might feel that telling God that they 'like the way you groove' is a little mindless. And I didn't care for their revival of the Nina Simone/Animals oldie "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". But I'm nit-picking. If you liked The Throes, you'll probably like this.

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