Brothers Ellis and Tom Clark are the duo behind Epicycle. The third album “Jingo Jangle” is a mix of progressive sixties pop sounds firing on all cylinders and Sgt. Pepperisms especially on the track “Girls Don’t Rule My World” which has wonderful sonic details in the multi-track piano and orchestral flourishes. The opener “8-Track Mind” brings together Bryds-styled guitar jangle and Cheap Trick riffs in a dense polished production. The piano ballad “Goodbye” is an impressive soulful song along the lines of Billy Joel. The brass and creepy Alice Cooper/Tom Waits vocal of “Ode To Branson” is a bit too strange till we get to the Roger Waters-like chorus. “Day for Night” revisits this style with a well done piano melody. The quirkiness of “Club Marmalade” and “Worst Rock Song” seems like an attempt to merge Zappa and 10cc. Like The Pillbugs, it has a tendency to overindulge in the pyschedelic effects too much toward the albums end. That mentioned a lot of other studio acrobatics here work well on most songs. It also features guest spots by Brad Elvis of the Elvis Brothers and Paul Mertens of Brian Wilson’s band. This album is worth a listen for sure. Fans of the above mentioned bands will reach musical nirvana with this one.
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