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Friday, April 2, 2010
The Jessica Fletchers - What Happened to The? - 2003
Jessica Fletchers show a lot more imagination and style than many of the bands mining the rich load of neo-psychedelia, certainly more than the bands on their label, Rainbow Quartz. The group hails from Norway and is firmly stuck back in the mid-'60s about where the Kinks meet the Small Faces, just down the lane from where the Marmalade and the Move hang out. They aren't strict recreationists on What Happened to the ?; however, there is a thoroughly modern dose of Elephant 6-style cuteness on songs like "Early Monday" and "Do You Know What She Hides." They also take some elements from garage rock (pounding tempos, simple chords changes) on songs like "Let's Go" and "Beatbox." Throw in some Beach Boys (the cuddly "You Can Have Japan"), Beatles (the dreamy "Shoot"), and the Spencer Davis Group ("I Got News") and you have quite the comprehensive, not to mention entertaining, tour of the mid-'60s. They also pay a lot of attention to arrangements, making sure to stuff each song full of interesting sonic details. This keeps the similarly written songs from all sounding the same. And it helps the band claw its way through the crowd of bands trying to do similar things and make What Happened to the ? one of the more interesting debuts of 2003. It's just a shame that the cover design is so uninteresting. Rainbow Quartz should have used the original cover that the record had when it was released in Norway. It would be too bad if the amateurish look turned away prospective fans. If you are one of those fans, please don't judge this book by its cover. -AMG
RS
MU
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Lovethugs - Babylon Fading - 2004
The Lovethugs' second album, 2005's Babylon Fading is a slight step forward for the Oslo, Norway, quartet (plus a percussionist). 2003's Playground Instructors was a trippy but melodically strong neo-psychedelic record that sometimes strayed into jam band territory and was held back by vocalist Jorgen's awkward vocals and lyrics. The same pluses and minuses apply here, but the pluses are stronger and the minuses are less obvious. First those diminished minuses: the vocals aren't quite as far out front and Jorgen seems more relaxed at the mic, they blend their jams into the songs much more smoothly, and the lyrics are less clunky. On the plus side the songs are stronger, the arrangements more organically trippy, and the band sounds more at home in the studio and just much improved in general. Unlike the first album, some of the songs here will stick with you for good reasons: "Save My Soul" is a fine mid-tempo groover with bubbling percussion work from Mudman (who shines throughout on various forms of percussion and possesses the perfect name for a behind-the-scenes percussion specialist), while the rollicking, Kinksy "Close Beside Her" and the hard-rocking "Up for Love" are as good as any by current practitioners of the retro pop psych underground sound. Only a few tracks ("I've Heard a Rumour," "Love Machine") sound as forced or ridiculous ("Night Time Seance," "The Midget") as those on the first album. The Lovethugs need to lower that ratio a bit to deliver a truly satisfying album, but Babylon Fading is still an improvement and a solid neo-psych nugget. -AMG
RS
MU
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Cool Street Art Graffiti: Graffiti Alphabet Letters
Graffiti art street cool with a golden brown color, graffiti alphabet letters like a gang that had marked their territory.
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