THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: February 15, 2021

RIVAL SONS – Hollow Bones

February 15, 2021 /

Way before Greta Van Scrote appeared from nowhere with their Led Zep plagiarism, Rival Sons had been doing the retro vibe since 2008. This is their 5th studio album, and sees them exploring more sounds from days gone by, but with a modern edge.

The title track is a great opening, with its 60’s vibe leading into the killer Tied Up, which has an almost soul vibe mixed in with their unique rock stylings. Lots of use of the fuzz pedal gives the feeling as though we are in 1970 as the intro to Thundering Voices kicks in. Have to mention the great production by Dave Cobb that really brings out the all the nuances in the songs. Baby Boy has a serious blues vibe with an awesome vocal from Jay Buchanan. Side closer Pretty Face should have been a single, as the chorus is a total earworm.

Flipping over onto Side 2, Fade Out announces its arrival with a killer vocal and a true power ballad vibe with some great slide playing and a big rock ending. The Ike and Tina Turner classic Black Coffee is next, and was released as a single – you need some very large plums to be able to carry that off. Have to say it’s a great cover and a vocal that does justice to the original. Hollow Bones Pt2 is next, and is my favourite on the album. Love the intro with the spacey guitar and quiet vocal, which blows into the big riff and with echoes of Zeppelin alive on this one. The album comes to an end with All That I Want with an acoustic piece which showcases how amazing Jay Buchanan’s voice is. His vibrato reminds me of Beth Hart.

What a great record that was! They remind you of everybody and yet nobody, as they borrow from the past but make it their own.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS – s/t

February 15, 2021 /

Although now Animals As Leaders are a band, when this album came out it they were basically a solo project that was instigated by Prosthetic Records after the demise of Tosin’s previous band, Reflux. All songs were written by Tosin and Periphery main man Misha Mansoor. Tosin plays most of the guitar and bass tracks on the album, and Misha programs the drums and adds a couple of solos and effects. The rest of the band now comprises of Abasi and Javier Reyes on 8 string guitars, and Matt Garstka on the old pots and pans.

If challenging metal djentyness is your thing, then you will love this. I had never heard of the band until I heard Misha mention Tosin in some online article and I bought the album after reading that interview. No straight ahead 4-4 time signatures here I’m afraid. Lots of odd time grooves and incredible playing. Abasai is a guitar hero for a new age. The tunes are well thought out and are not all one paced. Each tune has its peaks and troughs, and takes the listener on a musical roller coaster of a ride, from out and out metal goodness and djent a plenty, to laid back chill vibes.

There are plenty of high points that’s for sure. From opener Tempting Tides, which is killer, then onto On Impulse with its choppy groove. Everyone’s favourite djent tune Cafo, which should get everyone bouncing with it’s serious low end groove and incendiary guitar. Modern Meat with its acoustic jazz vibe is a beautiful piece. I could go on but every tune is an adventure for the listener. An epic album indeed.

The opportunity’s given to Abasi by adopting the eight string guitar have obviously expanded the range of things he can do. I love this album as it opened the door to me for a whole type of music that otherwise would have passed me by. This should be 10/10 album, but it loses half a mark for the production, which is a bit mushy in places.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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