2024 Album Reviews
(highlighted text within reviews links to YouTube clips or web-pages, etc.)
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(highlighted text within reviews links to YouTube clips or web-pages, etc.)
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EBB – The Management Of Consequences EP
You can’t say expressive art-rock meets progressive based sextet EBB (Erin Bennett - lead vocals, guitars; Nikki Francis - Hammond, piano, synths, saxophone, flute, clarinet; Kitty Biscuits - backing vocals, percussion, spoken word poetry; Bad Dog - bass; Suna Dasi - synths, backing vocals; Anna Fraser - drums, percussion) do things by halves.
The Management Of Consequences EP, which follows on (chronologically and part-thematically) from 2022 debut album Mad & Killing Time, is a fully packaged case in point.
Firstly, while consisting of only three songs, the overall length of the EP is 18 minutes, including an ever shifting, eight-and-a-half minute, three-part opener.
Secondly, art-rock doesn’t just refer to their musical stylings; it also nods to the visual medium, in this case (in CD form of the EP) an accompanying 24 page, A5 booklet that includes explanatory story narrative, lyrics and photo-images.
The booklet also helps underline the band’s own comments that The Management Of Consequences can be seen, to a degree, as a companion piece to Mad & Killing Time.
While the album, which came with its own (48 page) booklet, was a comment on the human condition, the EP, which deals with (and resolves) some of the issues raised in M&KT, is a more personal examination of the human condition, and evolution, through the concept of time – the fleeting (human life-time in a day, as the booklet images artfully convey) and the larger, cosmic scale (the EP is dedicated to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy).
The band's heady blend of 70s influenced prog, theatrical atmospherics and the avant-garde, all manifest themselves in opener 'Silent Saviour.'
Moving from its atmospheric, synth-backed opening to space-rock-psychedelia (with both western and eastern motifs), the number shifts to a short rock section before settling on a moodier, vocal passage, where Erin Bennett’s questioning style, and lyrics ("Will he hold you in your sleep? Or dry your crying eyes on the sheets") create a secondary atmosphere.
The song then kicks back into a King Crimson-esque sequence before changing tack completely with a short, clap-a-long Celtic-folk finale (one more drink while we question the insignificance of life against the scale of the universe please, barman).
'Cost & Consequence' is a more ethereal and rhythmic affair, but with a brooding and unsettling darkness attached, primarily through Erin Bennett’s vocals, which range from the delicate to near deranged to eerie operatic on the first lyrical section.
The song then switches to end on a more uplifting second vocal/ lyrical section, with relatively simple but effective backing.
'Nieu' is the jagged, Hammond-backed rock piece of the EP, one that cleverly mixes the completely off-kilter, such as the wickedly delivered mid-section narrative (an excerpt from 'Jenny Kiss’d Me' by Romanticism movement essayist & poet Leigh Hunt) with 70s era Hawkwind/ King Crimson sounds (kudos here to the bass lines and drum rhythms delivered by Bad Dog and Anna Fraser).
EBB will never be seen in the mainstream charts or heard on mainstream radio, but then their success lies elsewhere, refreshingly marching to the beat of their own, left field drum.
Art for art-rock’s sake.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Management Of Consequences, Mad & Killing Time and EBB merch can be purchased at: https://ebbband.bandcamp.com/
The Management Of Consequences EP, which follows on (chronologically and part-thematically) from 2022 debut album Mad & Killing Time, is a fully packaged case in point.
Firstly, while consisting of only three songs, the overall length of the EP is 18 minutes, including an ever shifting, eight-and-a-half minute, three-part opener.
Secondly, art-rock doesn’t just refer to their musical stylings; it also nods to the visual medium, in this case (in CD form of the EP) an accompanying 24 page, A5 booklet that includes explanatory story narrative, lyrics and photo-images.
The booklet also helps underline the band’s own comments that The Management Of Consequences can be seen, to a degree, as a companion piece to Mad & Killing Time.
While the album, which came with its own (48 page) booklet, was a comment on the human condition, the EP, which deals with (and resolves) some of the issues raised in M&KT, is a more personal examination of the human condition, and evolution, through the concept of time – the fleeting (human life-time in a day, as the booklet images artfully convey) and the larger, cosmic scale (the EP is dedicated to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy).
The band's heady blend of 70s influenced prog, theatrical atmospherics and the avant-garde, all manifest themselves in opener 'Silent Saviour.'
Moving from its atmospheric, synth-backed opening to space-rock-psychedelia (with both western and eastern motifs), the number shifts to a short rock section before settling on a moodier, vocal passage, where Erin Bennett’s questioning style, and lyrics ("Will he hold you in your sleep? Or dry your crying eyes on the sheets") create a secondary atmosphere.
The song then kicks back into a King Crimson-esque sequence before changing tack completely with a short, clap-a-long Celtic-folk finale (one more drink while we question the insignificance of life against the scale of the universe please, barman).
'Cost & Consequence' is a more ethereal and rhythmic affair, but with a brooding and unsettling darkness attached, primarily through Erin Bennett’s vocals, which range from the delicate to near deranged to eerie operatic on the first lyrical section.
The song then switches to end on a more uplifting second vocal/ lyrical section, with relatively simple but effective backing.
'Nieu' is the jagged, Hammond-backed rock piece of the EP, one that cleverly mixes the completely off-kilter, such as the wickedly delivered mid-section narrative (an excerpt from 'Jenny Kiss’d Me' by Romanticism movement essayist & poet Leigh Hunt) with 70s era Hawkwind/ King Crimson sounds (kudos here to the bass lines and drum rhythms delivered by Bad Dog and Anna Fraser).
EBB will never be seen in the mainstream charts or heard on mainstream radio, but then their success lies elsewhere, refreshingly marching to the beat of their own, left field drum.
Art for art-rock’s sake.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Management Of Consequences, Mad & Killing Time and EBB merch can be purchased at: https://ebbband.bandcamp.com/
Thunder – Live At Islington Academy; Live At Leeds
Live albums are performance part and recorded parcel of music release life.
In rock, there’s the traditional/ old-school double live album, showcasing and promoting a band or artist the peak of their commercial and/ or performance powers; now there’s "official bootlegs," which beat the recording pirates at their own game.
Then there’s the special moment live recordings, especially collectable and sought-after when it’s a band who always put on a show while having a bloody good time doing it (reciprocated by the audience).
British rock stalwarts Thunder tick the above boxes with two previously unreleased live recordings.
Live At Islington Academy captures the band during a special end of year performance that came off the back of their recently completed 2006 UK tour promoting then current album Robert Johnson’s Tombstone.
Planet Rock Radio, in the throes of organising their first annual Planet Rock Xmas Party event, approached Thunder about performing in front of around 800 lucky rock fans.
What made this December 2006 show all the more special was the fact it was kept pretty quiet, as band frontman Danny Bowes (in fine voice throughout) recalls: "No-one in the audience seemed to have a clue that we would attend the party, let alone play, so they were all pretty shocked when we stepped on to the stage!"
A very hot venue got even hotter as the band ramped the Planet Rockin' party up from the get-go with the gritty, rock-blues strut of 'Loser,' from 2003’s Shooting at the Sun.
From there it was a Thunder-ous good time of fan-favourites/ classics including raucous renditions of 'River of Pain' and 'Back Street Symphony,' an 800 voiced backing for slow-build tour-de-force 'Low Life in High Places' and a similarly vociferous backing for the Stonesy swagger of 'I Love You More Than Rock 'N' Roll.'
There was also a place for a couple of choice cuts from Robert Johnson’s Tombstone – the raunchy rock and "hormones with legs on" (now there’s a line) roll of 'The Devil Made Me Do it,' and a stompingly great version of the bluesified title track.
The set, or rather the party, ended, na-na na-nah-na na-na-naturally, with an extended, party-vibe’d sing-a-long of obvious encore number 'Dirty Love.'
In rock, there’s the traditional/ old-school double live album, showcasing and promoting a band or artist the peak of their commercial and/ or performance powers; now there’s "official bootlegs," which beat the recording pirates at their own game.
Then there’s the special moment live recordings, especially collectable and sought-after when it’s a band who always put on a show while having a bloody good time doing it (reciprocated by the audience).
British rock stalwarts Thunder tick the above boxes with two previously unreleased live recordings.
Live At Islington Academy captures the band during a special end of year performance that came off the back of their recently completed 2006 UK tour promoting then current album Robert Johnson’s Tombstone.
Planet Rock Radio, in the throes of organising their first annual Planet Rock Xmas Party event, approached Thunder about performing in front of around 800 lucky rock fans.
What made this December 2006 show all the more special was the fact it was kept pretty quiet, as band frontman Danny Bowes (in fine voice throughout) recalls: "No-one in the audience seemed to have a clue that we would attend the party, let alone play, so they were all pretty shocked when we stepped on to the stage!"
A very hot venue got even hotter as the band ramped the Planet Rockin' party up from the get-go with the gritty, rock-blues strut of 'Loser,' from 2003’s Shooting at the Sun.
From there it was a Thunder-ous good time of fan-favourites/ classics including raucous renditions of 'River of Pain' and 'Back Street Symphony,' an 800 voiced backing for slow-build tour-de-force 'Low Life in High Places' and a similarly vociferous backing for the Stonesy swagger of 'I Love You More Than Rock 'N' Roll.'
There was also a place for a couple of choice cuts from Robert Johnson’s Tombstone – the raunchy rock and "hormones with legs on" (now there’s a line) roll of 'The Devil Made Me Do it,' and a stompingly great version of the bluesified title track.
The set, or rather the party, ended, na-na na-nah-na na-na-naturally, with an extended, party-vibe’d sing-a-long of obvious encore number 'Dirty Love.'
Live At Leeds, recorded in March 2015, was part of a three-date arena tour in support of Wonder Days, one of the band’s finest offerings across their now fourteen studio album discography.
Like the 2006 Planet Rock Party show, this performance carried its own backstory – that of rhythm guitarist & keyboardist Ben Matthews settling back in (hence the less shows/ larger venues choice) while in recovery from throat cancer.
Not only did that make for an emotional show for both band and audience, it was also a marker of the stature Thunder had now attained that they could command arena attention.
Mixing older favourites with no less than six cuts from Wonder Days (underlining the strength of the album) Thunder put on one of their best and emotionally charged shows of their 21st century lives, from the Thunderclap intro and ever-shifting shades of 'Wonder Days' to, 16 songs and an hour and forty minutes later, encore finale 'Dirty Love.'
Highlights here are plentiful – hard rocking and melodic Wonder Days number 'Resurrection Day' took on stronger meaning ("we know who this is about" intro’d Danny Bowes), as did emotive ballad 'Broken,' led off by, and featuring, Ben Matthews on piano.
Classic 90s Thunder cuts, such as the dark and weighty 'Empty City' (special nod to bassist Chris Childs & drummer Harry James for the subtle groove on the downtempo sections), the bluesy melancholy of 'I’ll Be Waiting' and Danny Bowes at the top of his vocal game on blues-rock power ballad 'Love Walked In' also made their mark with the First Direct Arena audience, as can be heard by a crowd as highly charged as the band.
Live, Thunder always deliver, but these particular shows are definite, special must-haves for the fans.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Live At Islington Academy and Live At Leeds will be released on earMUSIC on 26th January.
Like the 2006 Planet Rock Party show, this performance carried its own backstory – that of rhythm guitarist & keyboardist Ben Matthews settling back in (hence the less shows/ larger venues choice) while in recovery from throat cancer.
Not only did that make for an emotional show for both band and audience, it was also a marker of the stature Thunder had now attained that they could command arena attention.
Mixing older favourites with no less than six cuts from Wonder Days (underlining the strength of the album) Thunder put on one of their best and emotionally charged shows of their 21st century lives, from the Thunderclap intro and ever-shifting shades of 'Wonder Days' to, 16 songs and an hour and forty minutes later, encore finale 'Dirty Love.'
Highlights here are plentiful – hard rocking and melodic Wonder Days number 'Resurrection Day' took on stronger meaning ("we know who this is about" intro’d Danny Bowes), as did emotive ballad 'Broken,' led off by, and featuring, Ben Matthews on piano.
Classic 90s Thunder cuts, such as the dark and weighty 'Empty City' (special nod to bassist Chris Childs & drummer Harry James for the subtle groove on the downtempo sections), the bluesy melancholy of 'I’ll Be Waiting' and Danny Bowes at the top of his vocal game on blues-rock power ballad 'Love Walked In' also made their mark with the First Direct Arena audience, as can be heard by a crowd as highly charged as the band.
Live, Thunder always deliver, but these particular shows are definite, special must-haves for the fans.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Live At Islington Academy and Live At Leeds will be released on earMUSIC on 26th January.
Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages
All-instrumental quartet Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages are described as "psych rock soul" but truth be told there’s a lot more going on than that on their self-titled debut, including funk, jazz and fusion.
Led by famed guitarist of The Doors, Robby Krieger, this highly talented band of musos also feature Kevin Brandon (Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé) on bass, Ed Roth (Brothers Johnson, Joe Walsh, Annie Lennox) on keys, and Franklin Vanderbilt (Lenny Kravitz, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder) on drums.
The band, then, clearly has an impressive CV (and the chops), but how does the album stand up?
Pretty darn well, is the answer.
Opener 'Shark Skin Suit,' a funky/soul number with roots in jam bands, carries a curious retro feel, although the production is very much up-to-date (you can imagine this being played in a hipster bar).
Ed Roth contributes effective Hammond & synth lines on the track, which has a quirky, fun vibe throughout.
'Samosas And Kingfishers' opens with a cod-Indian feel before transforming into an early Santana-type number (without the multiple percussion parts) with a touch of stoner rock.
The track meanders along pleasantly with Robby Krieger contributing the main melody and a woozy-sounding solo.
'A Day in L.A.' opens with Kevin Brandon contributing an impressive, funky bass-line and Roth & Krieger trading lines before the melody is introduced on piano.
This track has a coherent structure and as such sounds like less of a jam than the preceding numbers.
'Kilzoni' veers into acid-jazz territory but is highly effective in its implementation (it's also another that ventures into hipster territory in places); 'Contrary Motion' then ups the funk quotient whilst also managing to evoke memories of early jazz-fusion albums.
Slow funk number 'Never Say Never' drops the tempo and features Ed Roth shining on the Hammond.
Robby Krieger takes the melodic lead while an impressive Rhodes solo proves, if further proof were needed, that Roth has some serious jazz funk chops.
Krieger then contributes a solo straight from the 70s before a return to the main theme. A true highlight.
'Bouncy Betty,' with a bebop type riff interspersed with some solo sections, is pleasant enough but doesn’t stray too far from the bebop path; more thought has gone into 'Ricochet Rabbit,' which sits in smooth, jazz funk (almost Shakatak) territory with highly effective piano contributions from Ed Roth (the star of the debut show).
Another album highlight comes calling in the shifting shape of 'Blue Brandino,' which contains a strong unison riff by Roth/Krieger, some nice tempo changes by Franklin Vanderbilt, and effective solo passages.
Hammond led closing number 'Math Problem' is equally impressive, with clever off-beat phrasing, an insistent bass part from Kevin Brandon, tasty solos from Robby Krieger plus some time changes and staccato parts.
The latter brace make for a strong conclusion to what is an impressive album, but while the approach of having well-thought out structures & compositions alongside studio jam styled excursions certainly helps show-off the band's chops, such contrast doesn’t necessarily hone in on a specific, target audience (although it will inevitably be picked up by curious Doors fans).
However, there is some seriously good playing here along with some genuinely innovative ideas, leading to the anticipation of a second album where Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages may well find their true voice.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Led by famed guitarist of The Doors, Robby Krieger, this highly talented band of musos also feature Kevin Brandon (Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé) on bass, Ed Roth (Brothers Johnson, Joe Walsh, Annie Lennox) on keys, and Franklin Vanderbilt (Lenny Kravitz, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder) on drums.
The band, then, clearly has an impressive CV (and the chops), but how does the album stand up?
Pretty darn well, is the answer.
Opener 'Shark Skin Suit,' a funky/soul number with roots in jam bands, carries a curious retro feel, although the production is very much up-to-date (you can imagine this being played in a hipster bar).
Ed Roth contributes effective Hammond & synth lines on the track, which has a quirky, fun vibe throughout.
'Samosas And Kingfishers' opens with a cod-Indian feel before transforming into an early Santana-type number (without the multiple percussion parts) with a touch of stoner rock.
The track meanders along pleasantly with Robby Krieger contributing the main melody and a woozy-sounding solo.
'A Day in L.A.' opens with Kevin Brandon contributing an impressive, funky bass-line and Roth & Krieger trading lines before the melody is introduced on piano.
This track has a coherent structure and as such sounds like less of a jam than the preceding numbers.
'Kilzoni' veers into acid-jazz territory but is highly effective in its implementation (it's also another that ventures into hipster territory in places); 'Contrary Motion' then ups the funk quotient whilst also managing to evoke memories of early jazz-fusion albums.
Slow funk number 'Never Say Never' drops the tempo and features Ed Roth shining on the Hammond.
Robby Krieger takes the melodic lead while an impressive Rhodes solo proves, if further proof were needed, that Roth has some serious jazz funk chops.
Krieger then contributes a solo straight from the 70s before a return to the main theme. A true highlight.
'Bouncy Betty,' with a bebop type riff interspersed with some solo sections, is pleasant enough but doesn’t stray too far from the bebop path; more thought has gone into 'Ricochet Rabbit,' which sits in smooth, jazz funk (almost Shakatak) territory with highly effective piano contributions from Ed Roth (the star of the debut show).
Another album highlight comes calling in the shifting shape of 'Blue Brandino,' which contains a strong unison riff by Roth/Krieger, some nice tempo changes by Franklin Vanderbilt, and effective solo passages.
Hammond led closing number 'Math Problem' is equally impressive, with clever off-beat phrasing, an insistent bass part from Kevin Brandon, tasty solos from Robby Krieger plus some time changes and staccato parts.
The latter brace make for a strong conclusion to what is an impressive album, but while the approach of having well-thought out structures & compositions alongside studio jam styled excursions certainly helps show-off the band's chops, such contrast doesn’t necessarily hone in on a specific, target audience (although it will inevitably be picked up by curious Doors fans).
However, there is some seriously good playing here along with some genuinely innovative ideas, leading to the anticipation of a second album where Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages may well find their true voice.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ