Keith Harbottle is the one man band behind Big Life Desire and even he knows what you think of him. He sings “I don’t have a good voice, I can’t hardly sing, still I can impress, it’s not supposed to make sense” (“Not Supposed To Make Sense”). Keith has a very British theatrical sound, similar to the Bonzo Dog Band or a sober Syd Barrett. The songs are well arranged and melodic, especially the latter-era ELO-styled opener “Full Of You” with synth keyboards leading the way. Some songs are inventive and “So Inclined” is a very Alan Parsons Project flavoured mid-tempo song. However, Harbottle’s polite voice lacks any kind of range and seems custom made for a novelty record. By the mid point of this album it got very distracting, although the ballads (“After All” and “So Say I”) are easier to take. My advice is to listen yourself and cherry pick the better songs here, as I’m sure this is not everyone’s cup of tea. You may disagree here, but this album is best heard in dribs and drabs. Listen to everything here on Harbottle’s music page
Big Life Desire Site | My Space | Your Love Is (single)
Pulling together roots rock and pop has never been easy, but The Bellfuries do it with smart gusto. The opener “Welcome to the Club” has the right blend of guitar and rockabilly beat with catchy melody sure to please fans of Rockpile and Dave Edmunds. The merseybeat rythyms of “Sung by Someone Lonely” has a bit of Elvis Costello flavor as well as a little early Beatles, with really impressive guitar work. The simplicity and honesty of early rock and roll is the appeal on another standout “Give It Get It” complete with handclaps and flowing vocal harmonies over a great bassline. This melting of genres gives the album instant ipod appeal and the even the Hollies-light “Cheerleader” packs a strong pop punch. Another great song is “There could only be one you for me” with impressive chord and time signature changes that is comparable to Bleu and Mike Viola. Even lead vocalist, Joey Simeone sounds a little like Mike Viola on shuffling jangle of “This Love Ain’t So Bad.” “Big Surprises” also sounds a bit like Costello, but with more energy and force than the other tunes, and it never gets dull even at over 4 minutes. Other songs don’t reach these heights, but they come close. The ballad “The Only Ghost There is Me” is the only misstep here with violins and low organ, sounding like it belongs on a different album, with a tone closer to Gerry and The Pacemakers. “All My New Friends” fairs much better as a mid-tempo tune. But even this doesn’t take the shine off a brilliant album. The musicianship here is flawless and “Palmyra” sounds like both a cohesive album and a compilation of hit singles. No filler here and after a few more listens the hooks on these tunes draw you in all over again. If that doesn’t deserve a Top Ten nod, I don’t know what else does.
If you remember we reviewed Richard Snows debut here. Now power pop fans can get excited again. Richard has the jangle of the Byrds, the harmonies of The Beach Boys and folk leanings of Paul Simon. Richard is best compared with Richard X. Heyman with his varied pop sound. Opening with the Beatlesque “Silent Girlfriend” it perfectly captures a moment in time. It’s a perfect single that would make even devout Spongetones fans take notice. “You’re My Number 1” continues the hit parade with a hook filled chorus. The Beach Boys styled arrangement on “You Said It” is packed with beautiful vocal harmonies and melodies. “Hard To Be Happy” is a sixties love note to Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark with echo and jangle. Another standout, “Lonesome Cowboy” opens as expected, as a guitar driven country rock track then it takes a funky reggae turn. It keeps the music from being predictable, and that’s what makes it a compelling track. “Expectations” is also does this by starting as heavy pysche-pop and ending up as a new age choral. The ballad “Days of Simplicity” talks about how each future generation will miss the simple music that shaped their lives as they grow older. The song is reminiscent of those classic Moody Blues ballads. A very satisfying experience and highly recommended.
My weekend vacation is up. On a few Gannett newspaper sites, they are promoting the newest Brian Wilson album “Lucky Old Sun” by having the entire album stream for listeners. This is a very good thing to older established artists that don’t feel the labels support them enough. With the success and adoration from 2004’s “SMiLE” album, this is a step above the follow up “Gettin’ in Over My Head” done that same year. Brian’s emphatic vocals have less of a tired feel and some sweet gems are to be found in the title track, “Forever She’ll Be My Surfer Girl” and the sweeping “Mexican Girl.” Unfortunately there are lots of narrative bits and reprises between the songs (done to better effect on The Beach Boys “California Saga” years ago) that don’t work here. A remake of “Can’t Wait Too Long” is filler here, and a truly beautiful biographic ballad about his comeback “Midnight’s Another Day” suffers from Brian’s lack of vocal range, but most fans will find it forgivable and truly savor the handful of songs. In fact, I wonder out loud how gorgeous this song would be sung by someone else (Much like the Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach’s “God Give Me Strength”). Others will wonder what all the fuss is about.
Reviewed by Mike Z. On the opening track, “Lover Boy”, singer/guitarist Marc Olivier’s voice grabs your attention immediately, which is a strong way to kick off any record. His voice sounds like Adam Ant in pitch and played-up British accent and warbles effectively like that of Larry Kirwin from Black 47. The music is also strong enough that it can not be ignored, so a good mix of sounds is established off the bat, and that will (for the most part) continue throughout. This is a good mix of rock, pop, and lyrical braggadocio. With “Every Day” the band again succeeds in creating a musical mix of anger, angst, and a wry sense of humor complete with bouncing guitars and a synthesizer sound straight from 1983.
“Mary B!” has one bad-ass riff which is wasted on a song which is fails to paint a compelling portrait of its title character. Add half a point to this rating if you are a Francophile, as that motif (that’s French, right?) is to be found at various points of this recording. A weakness is exposed here and continues to unravel somewhat in the next three songs. Even though these tracks are somewhat out of place, it doesn’t overly sully the rest of the work. “The Boy” is more of a rocker and maybe the best realization of this band’s sound. Everything is just right with the mix of guitars, driving 4/4 drums, chunky bass, and overdriven synths. “Fifteen Years” continues the sonic momentum and gives further hope that this band may have some real talent. The guitar resounds like nothing I’ve heard since Billy Duffy’s big, big guitar from The Cult’s Electric. “Whispering” starts out slow and has bittersweet lyrics. It borrows from The Beatles and XTC initially and has some beautiful touches throughout. The lyrics are simple and do not try to overstate the sentiment that the music creates. I’d recommend this album to be played on your house or car stereo, so as to fill the room and let the big guitars and meat-head drum beats bounce off the walls. If you throw this in while doing chores, having some friends over for beers, or going for a drive, a great energy will be added to the environment and it will be really hard to not get swept up with the music.
