THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE REVOLUTION
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Following in the footsteps of those great pioneers like Scott of the Antarctic, Dr Livingston, Sir Edmund Hillary, the Captain of the Titanic and Wild Billy Childish, this band go where no band has gone before, bravely pioneering the new sound of Chap Rock. We have here eleven tales of daring do and jolly japes all accompanied with a soundtrack created by musicians with too much talent and not enough shame. Its so off the wall it will have everyone wondering where the hell it came from but so infectious it could take over the charts in the not too distant future.
In this time of vulgarity, hoodies and scallywags stealing bits of other folks records using those damn sampler thingys, the Don Bradmans have come to take us back to a time when chaps were chaps and moustaches were twirled. Invoking memories of WG Grace, tweed, cuff links, Alec Guinness, bandstands, Boys Own, Sherlock Holmes, The British Empire, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, gentlemen’s clubs and The Bonzo Dog Do Dah band, these Bradman chaps are a breath of fresh air in a world full of stale ideas.
‘The Szgany’ opens proceedings for us, which is a tale of a really rough pub, which is “not for the likes of you and me” because “somebody always gets really drunk and starts fighting” which is actually quite exciting. We then have tributes to two rather spiffing chaps; ‘McShane’ (Lovejoy) which has a rather jolly Kazoo solo in the middle; followed by the tragic tale of ‘Bill Oddie’s Body’ and how his beheaded torso was found in sand dunes (I am sure I saw him twitching on the telly the other day though!). The Ghost Busters theme is raided to help tell the tale of a bloke whose name is ‘Nick’ and how “if he were to use a biro, it would be a Bic”. ‘Schadenfreude’ is all about pleasure taken from someone else's misfortune (obviously) and finds drummer Don on vocals, like a crusty Phil Collins. ‘The Fountain of Destiny’ funks things up for the final instalment of this collection of ripping yarns and we are treated to some of that new fangled wah wah with a hint of dub.
If this album sounds like nonsense, well, lets be honest, it is. But it is supposed to be; it’s a cry of “we want something really different for a change”. It’s the rulebook ripped up and shoved up Simon Cowell’s arse. When you are sat in a field watching ‘alternative’ bands that all sound the same, go and check out the Bradmans, a genuinely alternative band. All you need to know is that a considerable number of the Dons (there are seven Don Bradmans in the band) used to be in the Headmix Collective and you will know that these boys know how to be different with a bucket load of style. Perhaps that is a little unfair to the non Headers, cos the rest of the Dons have more than a little talent at their disposal and as a unit they gel together to create a noise that is unlike anything else you will hear today. They will have you shaking your thang and grinning at your mate with a look in your eye that says, “what the fuck is going on?” Get this album now, so you can sing along next festival season.
| Spundsystem |
Once Upon A Time (Functional) 2005
Four years in the making, but worth the wait. The dready ones 5th outing is another collection of funked up dubness (or should that be dubbed up funkiness?). There are loads of bands out there doing ‘digital dub’, but the ‘Zone go a step further and chuck ska, ragga and hip hop into the digital mixing pot to come up with stomping dancehall vibes. They have not wandered too far from the formula that gave them success with their second album, ‘Second Light’ back in 1995, but that does not really matter because no-one else has been able to come even close to copying them, so this is still fairly original stuff. On a critical note, that ‘Second Light’ album was a bit of a monster, and a tough act to follow; they have had several good stabs at bettering it but it remains their best release to date. But hey, don’t let that put you off getting your mits on this little belter!
Dreadzone Soundsytem (Functional breaks) 2004
Not quite a Dreadzone album, but with Greg Dread, Ben Belafonic and MC Spee at the controls, you can guarantee some fat funky breaks with bass lines to rock the block. Mixed as part of the Beatz and Bobz series, this collection pulls no punches with rough riders like Renegade Soundwave, the Freestylers, and Brothers Bud given the ‘Zone treatment, shoved next to each other then heated up with a digital blowtorch so they all melt together nicely. The appearance of snuff has us intrigued, it looks like this band have moved on quite a bit since those classic punk albums back in the early 90s. Needless to say Dreadzone slip in a bit of their own, with ‘In The Party’ and ‘Booty Line’ bumping and grinding with the rest of the posse. Perfect for a lively funktion.
Nuborns (Iron Man) 2001
Right, we are going to give you some words which you can cut out and paste to make up your own review, cos this is that sort of avant-garde art house type thang. Crayons, shredded cardboard, dried grass, velvet, Zappa, cornflakes, a soggy knitted jumper, raindogs, Beefheart, crisp packets, broken coloured glass, corduroy, dried mud, postcards of New York, the freakier moments of the Moonflowers, mouldy banana skins, empty pot-noodle tubs and a broken Dansette record player. Does that make sense? No? Well neither does this album. Bit since when has rock ‘n roll needed to make sense?
