Lovers of swinging sixties pop will not want to miss The Marmalade Army’s “Johnny Cake and Moonpies” as it’s a loving tribute to the late psychedelic pop era. Sounding a lot like 10cc’s Graham Gouldman singing XTC or Andrew Gold’s Fraternal Order of The All, it’s a really impressive collection of songs. The band member names are a mystery too, some credited as “Lumpy Peppermint” or “Paisley Nash” (A lot like The Dukes of the Stratosphere aka XTC). After a few isolated instrumentals that set the groovy mood, we get the first song “Flower Girl,” a sweet baroque ode with nods to Brian Wilson. The next proper song “She’s My Dream” work late era Beatles (especially the Harrison-styled guitar) to excellent effect. “Garden Of My Mind” takes the strum of “Tequila” and turns it into a 10cc styled romp. The Beach Boys era tribute cira 1977-era “2BW” (yes, it’s really “To Brian Wilson”) is a song that would’ve fit nicely on the BB’s “Love You” album. “Welcome to the Love Machine” is one of those crazy instrumentals that mirror the “I Dream of Jeannie” TV theme song. And yes Andy Partridge fans, “I Nearly Walked Into Traffic” is a perfect “Mummer” track with pastoral guitars and melody. Some of the tunes are so light and psyche-sweet, like “Marigold” it would fit fine on The Pillbugs latest album. The title track brings to mind a Pet Sounds session then morphs to a full swirling sunny pop track with Reggae beats and harmonies. A few tracks do feel too underdeveloped though. “It’s Raining Again” builds to a wonderful melody and then it ends (I would have loved it go on a bit longer). The end result is a fantastic album, that fans of the bands mentioned above will treasure.
My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik