THE BEES
Free The Bees (Virgin; CD)
The guys that brought us a great cover of Os Mutantes' 'A Minha Menina' last year are back. Now signed to EMI, with Abbey Road Studios at their disposal, Free The Bees (their second album) is a unified work, with an amazing period production. The guitars have a spiteful tone worthy of Dave Davies, the vocals are forceful and there are a shed load of
cool songs punctuated with punchy riffs, electric piano, occasional horns and Hammond. What grabs me the most is the fact that it doesn't reek of revivalism yet is somehow reminiscent of those records that we adore – in itself a very good sign. German '90s band The Pickles instantly spring to mind as both acts feature top musicians that although accomplished don't want to be too tight and play with a natural looseness that works to great effect. The lengthy rocksteady inflected instro 'The Russian' may be a throwback to mellow stoned feel of the debut, but in general this is a more rounded, far tougher effort. 'Chicken Payback' (which features the coolest vintage guitar sound since The Crawdaddys), 'The Start' and 'I Love You' have a wonderful Memphis soul quality. Most impressive, especially when considering that these are lads in their mid-'20s from a rural British Island. The Bees however are still far from genre specific and ably swing from style to style. In the way a skunk marks territory with a scent gland The Bees do with their music -- and whether playing a knees-up, a John Barry-esque arrangements or blue-eyed soul, it all sounds distinctly "Bees”. A driving psych-rock feel is achieved on the momentous 'Horsemen', the quirky 'Hourglass' manages to capture the English pastoralism that made Traffic special whilst closer 'This Is The Land' merges The Beatles' Revolver-era with a whole host of jangly garage bands. And I'll say it again… the production is perfect. Although as an album it still hasn't quite managed to reach perfection, I'll still take my hat off to these boys for their energy, scope and passion. Goddamitt, what is perfect these days? This is certainly as close as you'll get with a young British band on a major record label anyway!
www.thebees.info
Jon 'Mojo' Mills
THE CONTRAST
Fade Back In (Rainbow Quartz; CD)
Fade Back In is the third album in less than three years by the finest (and clearly the most prolific) band from Peterborough, UK! As it is with almost any Rainbow Quartz
release you'll hear, the emphasis is on that psychedelic jangle that so many of us love, and The Contrast do it better than most. Rugged guitar figures, thick productions and Paisley aural images are anchored by the deep, rich vocals of David Reid, who may be best characterized as a more upbeat John Cale, and these vocals are often accompanied by the octave-higher harmonies of Spencer Hart. Songs like 'Give Me One More Chance,' 'Catch The Spark,' 'Flatpacked' and 'Disconnected' make it easy to understand why Little Steven constantly raves about these guys. 'Smart' takes the 'Mayor Of Simpleton' theme a step further, and 'Your Starring Role' would definitely be a big hit in a musical world of our own invention. The only downcast number on Fade Back In is 'Something Tells Me' which, appropriately enough, could fit nicely on a John Cale album. Yet another excellent disc by these gents who, at the rate they're going, should have their next album ready for release in about three weeks (just kidding, folks!).
www.rainbowquartz.com
David Bash
BART DAVENPORT
Game Preserve (Antenna Farm; CD/Mushroom Pillow; CD)
San Francisco's Bart Davenport's sophomore effort is my most played contemporary album this year and has been a cherished travel companion on many lengthy hold ups on the Victoria line.
Schooled in mod/R&B band The Loved Ones and having embraced modern technology on his previous release, Davenport paints emotive imagery on a large musical canvas; his songs and style shaped by the variety of musical styles he has taken on board over the years. Rather than incinerate his past Davenport flits seamlessly between the type of New Orleans soul (filtered through Moondance-era Van Morrison) that he first started playing to pretty Robert Kirby styled orchestrated folk, country-rock and sunshine-pop (a notable cover of The Free Design's 'My Brother Woody'). First and foremost this is crafted music glistening with a late '60s sensibility. The pervasive lyricism sang in an enchantingly enunciated voice that is poignant and delicate, yet bluesy, add subtle nuances to the strong instant melodies.
A talented individual like Davenport really should be gaining a lot more attention. Game Preserve is an absolutely life affirming body of songs that makes the listener glow inside. A classic!
www.bartdavenport.com
Jon 'Mojo'Mills
DUNGEN
Ta Det Lugnt (Subliminal Sounds; CD)
This young multi-faceted Swede (Gustav Ejstes [nee Dungen]) made a mark on us with his last album – which admittedly we wrote a somewhat silly, yet positive, review of last summer. Although Ta Det Lugnt is far harder to digest, it has progressed immeasurably;
with “progressive” being the optimum state of play. Still sung solely in Swedish, Ejstes' tuneful vocals are invariably swamped by saturated, battling, distorted leads, echoplexed instrumentation and abstract clattering drums which cloak the melodies in a cloud of opium smoke. At times it's too much for the senses, elsewhere it's blissful! If at first a little unsettling, the layering and juxtaposition lead to a “sweet 'n' sour” / “Sauron 'n' Gandalf” listening experience. Musical passages veer from string laden acoustic folk-prog numbers to freak-out guitar segments and minimalist instrumental passages and back again, clashing throughout like an abyss of sound, which at times looses structure, approaches free-form jazz and then flows back into truncated songs. It's good though; giving vintage 70's Swedish prog emblems some kind of contemporary relevance. It may not be that easy, but is further proof of how “inventive” and “Magpie-like” the Swedes are, and how well they can make it work. Psych and prog are continuing to evolve thanks to young stimulated minds.
www.subliminalsounds.se
Jon 'Mojo' Mills
THE LACKLOVES
The Beat And The Time (Rainbow Quartz; CD)
On their third album The Beat And The Time, The Lackloves continue to do what they
do best, which is to deliver the kind of jangly psychedelic pop that will whet the appetites, as well as wet the pants, of fans of the genre. The slightly pinched lead vocals of Mike Jarvis will greatly remind listeners of Mitch Easter, and songs like 'The Radio's Mine' will certainly call to mind Let's Active. 'Still Missing You' is closest in form and spirit to Jarvis' former band, the beloved Blow Pops, 'Never Gonna Fall,' and 'Don't Leave Me Now' are particularly Mersey-inspired, 'Excuse Me, Use Me' dips into the glitter bin, and 'Nowhere Near Here' is the album's most psychedelic, with a generous portion of wah wah and bent notes. The closer, 'Know You Now' is a tender ballad that recalls early Big Star. This fine album proves that Jarvis has not lost even one ounce of his Midas touch.
www.rainbowquartz.com
David Bash
THE UNCHAYNED
The Unchayned EP (Reverb Records; CD-R)
Those less than chirpy pie boys from the outback (yes, the UK West Country is so far off the mark it may as well be the Mid West of the USA) return after a lengthy break. Rather than come back proto-heavy, proto-psych or proto-proto they've stuck with the loser '66 garage-punk sound that they formed to play. (See Gravedigger #2). It's snotty. They have the approach. And I can't think of any other band that does it this authentically and with as much honesty! It's like Detroit 2003 never 'appened, bless 'em! And all respect is due.
www.geocities.com/theunchayned
Jon 'Mojo' Mills
BRIAN WILSON
Gettin' In Over My Head (Brimel/Rhino; CD)
Is this good, bad, silly or sad? It's hard to decide, but there's definitely an element of truth in saying that it is all of these and more. I adore Brian. I love his music. I even like the nervous, retiring Brian of the 21st Century and his “roll-him-on, roll-him-off” stage persona: which is both bittersweet and a testament to recovery from mental illness – well,
kinda. And that's the thing with Brian Wilson 2004. Yes, he plays constantly and is now nearly as popular as he was 35 years ago. The attention is doing him well, as are the plaudits, but I believe there is another side. Does Brian really want to play? Does he want to have to go through the task of performing the intricate SMiLE? Did he want to record a new album to capitalise on newfound success? I doubt it, and Gettin' In Over My Head is proof. Featuring reworked older “works in process”, revamped songs and a few newish pieces, it's really hard to classify this as actually “new”. And it's a step back from Brian's emotionally bare Imagination. Here The Wondermints have clearly taken the reigns and shaped an album – from it must be said some rather scrappy material that is only Wilson in name – and that uncannily happens to sound just like The Beach Boys. Nearly. The problem lies in that for all of the clever arrangements, production and star guests “Elton John (!), Macca ('A Friend Like You' on which he guests is wonderful) and Clapton (!)!” (were they really necessary?!) this album could be by any one of the many new bands that want to sound like prime time The Beach Boys! It's not terrible, and there are some very good moments. It's just that for all of the brilliant reviews it's been receiving, it really isn't the return to form of the prodigal son! But then again, it is Brian Wilson and in an odd way I absolutely adore it. Confused? I am.
www.rhino.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills
