RGG January 2017 - p.13
Reviewed by NICK
J
TOWNSEND
Verdict:
The sixth album by Rowley Regis
singer songwriter Cult Of Wedge AKA Pete
Hackett is album of the month because it's so
damn good. First of all this ten track wonder has
a real relationship with nostalgia and
successfully makes the listener believe that
these could easily pass as unreleased songs by
bands such as the Electric Light Orchestra or
Yes; the sentiment and sounds captured on here
are just coated in classic symphonic prog rock
and wrapped in a blanket of Beatlesque pop
harmony. 'Miss America' is a joy to hear for
multiple reasons including having Rowley Regis
and the General Lee moulded together in the
witty lyrics. There is real delightful charm
throughout but the highlight for me on here is
'Conspiracy Girl' with its nod to possibly John
Carpenter, Pink Floyd and 80s Science program
intros; it's arguably the darkest sounding song
on the album but yet it still manages to melt into
a fitting bubbly pop chorus that sounds like its
sung on a magic roundabout. Cult Of Wedge
has a tremendous power to write original, solid
pop songs saluting the past without using
plagiarism or cheese, simply an incredible multi
instrumentalist with an album that stands tall
next to many of the releases recorded by music
legends who dominated the late 70s.
Album:
Loch Ness Monsters
and Motherships
CULT OF WEDGE
Verdict:
Birmingham band Dark Circus sent
us their 'Lipstick Party Killer' album which I
believe came out a while ago but it's fresh to my
ears. The album opens with a gothic-like neo
rockabilly/creepy circus sounding descending
scale followed by what at first I expected was
going to be The Cramps or Billy Idol singing but
then no, because along came the mighty vocals
of Bella Raye instead with her incredible film noir
like voice and proved my predictive ears totally
wrong. Highlights are 'How Long' which to me
sounds like Karen Carpenter paired with a better
soundtrack; that's not an insult, Bella Raye on
here has a formidable voice and Dark Circus are
all outstanding musicians. Equally impressive is
the bang banging of 'The Hunter' and the
continental uptempo 'Ooh La La'. I'm not sure if
this is genius or whether it's the first album I've
heard sounding like it was recorded by actual
creepy clowns and produced in a circus tent with
an amazing recording studio located in the
centre; is this the way of the future? I don't know,
but I'm convinced this band is original and
brilliant. There seems more attention to
authentic traditional rockabilly and less punk on
display here; a lot of bands who adopt ways of
neo-rockabilly can't resist smothering songs with
over the top heavy punk guitars but Dark Circus
have a classic vibe here and it's perfect for the
music.
Album:
Lipstick Party Killer
www
facebook com/DarkCircusband
DARK CIRCUS
album
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