regardless of the styling, the energy and spirit bursting through this record is really something to hear.
regardless of the styling, the energy and spirit bursting through this record is really something to hear.
http://www.myspace.com/birthofjoy
A short résumé is needed here: a while back I was asked to review and interview this band live on air, seemingly as some sort of studio in-joke: still, I was taken by the tracks they played, and they genially sat through the short and fumbling radio interview. Anyway after the show I picked up the LP and thought, well I’ll give it a go, no strings attached, blah, blah. And guess what, I really like it. Even if it is ploughing a long-ploughed Rock furrow.
Yes, right from the word go, once the strut of Dead Being Alive takes hold, it’s damned obvious which wellspring the band takes succour from. The portentous preacher/screecher vocal style, that organ sound and the dramatic structures (song breakdowns quiet asides, sonic/psychic climaxes on Teeny Bopping, or the hoppity hop of Motel Money A Way) lead the listener to the Temple of Morrison. Comparisons too with Iron Butterfly or the Guess Who at their most together wouldn’t go amiss either.
But in a funny way none of this actually matters. Because regardless of the styling, the energy and spirit bursting through this record is really something to hear: especially on the tremendous Make Things Happen. They mean it, maaan… The lad can sing too, and if the lyrical content could go up a notch and keep away from platitudes he could be something else.
No I like it: lots of trendy bands do similar and don’t show half the personality.