For the uninitiated amongst us who are unaware of who Mr. Bieler is, he was the musical driving force behind Saigon Kick. Most of the strange musical interludes of that band can be attributed to him, and the vibe here is very similar. Other than a ton of special guest appearances (playing mostly solo pieces), Jason sings the majority of the songs, plays most of the guitars, and plays the keys. The cover and artwork scream Steampunk and it’s a great image for the concept.
The opening tune is an eerie musical piece that introduces the album properly with the heavy riff that accompanies Apology. A great tune with superb melody and lyrics. Bring Out Your Dead is another cracking tune with a great D-tuned riff with fantastic melodies and vocals. Very melodic but in a different way that is refreshing and has me wishing that Saigon Kick were still with us.
Side 2 starts with a ticking clock as the intro to Annalise before a great off beat drum groove takes you to Prog territory. Yes spring to mind at first, but it’s a lot more than that – such a fantastic unusual tune. Stones Will Fly follows and has Extreme’s Pat Badger on bass. It sort of carries on from the previous song as it has that Prog vibe to it. I love music that challenges the listener and is away from the norm, and this is definitely that – both strange and familiar at the same time. Down In A Hole closes out Side 2 in fine style with a heavy groove and staccato drumming, but it’s the vocal melodies that get you, and I love the middle section.
Over to Side 3 we go with the power pop tune, Anthem For Losers. This a great tune, and the type of song that I wish the charts were full of. Horror Wobbles The Hippo is a short jazzy connecting piece with brings is into Beyond Hope – another fantastic oddity of a tune. There is a reggae/rock groove, a Jamaican style vocal from Benji of Skindred, and a solo from Bumblefoot. Epic stuff – more please! Crab Claw Dan brings Side 3 to a close, and starts with a Victorian fairground vibe and those wonderful layered harmonies.
A killer riff starts off Side 4 opener, Born Of The Sun, and we’re in Prog metal territory. Another killer tune – when will the pleasure end! Baby Driver is next, and is another wonderfully strange instrumental piece. Then we have Alone In The World with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, and it’s another delightful oddity. Very Fine People is an acoustic driven piece, but again it’s the vocals and harmonies that soar above the music. A strange little piece FKSWYSO closes out the album and the line “You’re still a fat kid swimming with your shirt on” is stuck in my brain. It’s a joy to hear that such challenging and beautiful music is still being made, especially in the melodic rock world where every band seems stuck in 1983.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
