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Elly Roberts reviews

Bishop Allen: Grrr...

Distributed by
Dead Oceans Records

Released: March 2009

Rating: 6/10

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Number three from NY indie rockers.

New York seems to be bristling with talent these days, what with Lady Gaga and MGTM all doing rather well.

Here comes another – indie pop- rockers Bishop Allen – fronted by Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, supported by a host of musical collaborators.

These Harvard graduates haven’t exactly caught on like musical stablemates Arcade Fire, and it’s hard to see Grrr brining them much UK attention as half-decent it is, though there isn’t much real Grrr about this album.

Nevertheless, it has an undeniably quaint charm all of its own, and will definitely grow on you.

The ditties are whimsical enough to appeal across age ranges, with songs seamlessly melting into each other and are quite catchy to be truthful. In fact the album gets better as it unfolds showing a wide range of influences from say Jonathan Richmond – Dimmer / The Magpie – to The Kinks – Tiger, Tiger.

Grrr... opens with a flurry of universal popiness, especially the radio-friendly groovy basslines on The Lion And Tea Cup which eventually unleashes some down-and-dirty guitar solos and a whopping chorus, followed by a far more expansive gem South China Tea, while Oklahoma comes more packaged as an out-and-out happy-go-lucky potential single.

True Or False sounds like something like something out of a recent Beirut songbook, especially the brass injections. It’s carried by some wonderful lead vocals by Darbie Nowatka, and stylish percussion by an appropriately named Michael Tapper. Again this would make a great single for BBC Radio 2’s playlist.

Follow-on Shanghaied is a rip-roaring slice of wackiness.

The verdict – I like it. So will you.

May gig dates:

• May 06 Manchester @ Cafe Saki
• May 07 London @ Bardens Boudoir
• May 08 Cardiff @ Clwb
• May 09 Reading @ Oakford
• May 10 Brixton @ The Windmill

Weblinks: bishopallen.com / deadocenas.com

Radio: Hear tracks soon on THE PLUG at wrexham.com

The full list of tracks included are :

1. Dimmer 2. The Lion And The Tea Cup 3. South China Moon 4. Dirt On Your New Shoes 5. Oklahoma 6. The Ancient Commonsense Of Things 7. True Or False 8. Rooftop Brawl 9. Shanghaied 10. Don’t Hide Away 11. Cue The Elephants 12. The Magpie 13. Tiger, Tiger

Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.

As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.

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