BACAO RHYTHM & STEEL BAND
Expansions (Big Crown)
This innovative collective started making music in 2007, fusing together the distinct sound of steel drums with funk, whilst both covering popular music and producing their own original tracks. The 12 on latest album Expansions include tunes from Ike Turner, Grace Jones and Jay-Z – whose infamous Dirt Off Your Shoulder has been given a steel pan makeover – with a handful of original compositions for good measure.
The various genres which feature on this album along with the original tracks all compliment each other really well and it’s interesting to hear the band’s take on the songs. Each is sounding fresh and it’s refreshing to hear a new sound which is laced with good vibes and funky intentions. I fully rate Expansions and am excited to further explore both Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and their chosen genre.
words LAURA FEDELI
BOI
Coron O Chwinc (Crwn)
Thumping guitars and drums instantly bring back Britpop memories, indeed recalling Wales’ own Cool Cymru offshoot. As a result, most of Coron O Chwinc sounds like it could have been recorded any time in the last 30 years, and a little out of kilter with the lightness found in most modern Welsh bands. But, only three songs into their debut album, Boi show that they have range far beyond the expected sturm und drang, with Ribidires boasting varied chord progressions, mercurial guitar lines and a great melody.
Elsewhere, Super Furry Animal guitar grooves are abound on tracks like Twll Dan Staer – fitting perfectly with that band’s Daffydd Ieuan, who digs into his production bag for a range of vocal effects. Album closer and latest single Tragwyddoldeb finds inspiration from the original British pop sounds of Lennon and McCartney, with an arrangement that makes the most of the Beatles-like melody. Coron O Chwinc sets up Boi as a band that stands proud behind their guitar-driven influences, which means that it will be on the stage where these songs are sure to come alive.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES
K.D.A.P
Influences (Arts & Crafts)
Those among us partial to a bit of Broken Social Scene will be glad to see founder member Kevin Drew getting busy again on this electronica project: K.D.A.P., or Kevin Drew A Picture. A wholly electronic project is not such a big departure if you remember BSS’ all-instrumental compilation Bee Hives. During lockdown 1.0, meanwhile, Drew experimented with DIY production software Endlesss on his smartphone whilst wandering around London; as for many of us, that involved repetition, alienation, sadness and fear, but also exploration, longing and an appreciation for life.
There are skittering beats, influenced by both Warp Records and Detroit techno. Arpeggiating minor and major keyboard lines show nature triumphing over modern 21st tech-life; low-slung Hooky basslines move the body, and moments of unbridled joy and beauty emerge. You And Me And Them is a real pearler, starting with wonky electronics and ending with thoughtful strings of life. The euphoric Explosive Lip Balm and nine-minute closer Almost Victory are a perfect culmination, emerging from the tunnel, blinking into the light of a new sunshiney day.
words CHRIS SEAL
THE L.I.F.E PROJECT
The L.I.F.E Project EP (Bloodblast)
Your band’s two-year tour cycle has ended, your lead singer is off making a solo record and along with the rest of the world you’re hurled into the cauldron of a global pandemic – that’s where Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand found himself sat in contemplation. No use crashing on the couch and twiddling your thumbs.
The L.I.F.E Project pairs Rand up with Paralandra vocalist Casandra Carson, the result a five-song EP written, arranged, recorded and produced entirely by multi-instrumentalist Rand. A rock/metal ensemble of songs, it showcases his musicianship, while Carson’s vocal style and range intertwines majestically. It’s hard not to compare her sound to that of Lzzy Hale and Amy Lee.
First single The Nothingness leaves it all out there: killer guitar and headbanging drums, everything you want in a rock song. Purgatory has a military style beat to it, while Worthwhile steadies the pace and strips everything back some. A tub-thumping labour of lockdown.
words OWEN SCOURFIELD
STEPHEN FRETWELL
Busy Guy (Speedy Wunderground)
Recorded in just two hours, Busy Guy captures the intimacy and immediacy of a songwriter caught sharing his songs with his producer-friend, Dan Carey. The performances sound fresh and genuine, while the songs themselves are beautiful meditations on life, love and London.
There’s something of Springsteen’s Nebraska in the opportunism of holding true to the original demos, but it’s Cohen’s Songs From A Room that is most evoked through the minor chord progressions and scratchy guitar sounds. Granted, Fretwell’s voice is in no way comparable with Cohen’s, more like Damien Rice but richer and more effortless – stunningly so, in fact.
Carey’s production and added instrumentation is sparse and sensitive and the songs are largely all of one sound, underplayed and all the better for it. A little more variety or more true standouts, like Embankment, would be welcome, but as a collection that captures a moment and a mood, Busy Guy is a beautifully uncluttered cycle of songs.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES