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DVDfever.co.uk – Stanley Brinks & The Wave Pictures CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Ciao Ketchup Recordings
- Released: January 2010
- Rating: 6/10
- Vote and comment on this album:View Comments
Off-the-wall folk-ish delights.,
Under various pseudonyms Stanley Brinks aka Andre Herman Dune (amongst countless others, Ben Dope, John Trawling, Lord Stanislas ) has been ploughing his ant-folk thing for several years, occupying a virtually singular space.Sonically and lyrically, he deliberately or not, gives a huge nod to American troubadour Jonathan Richman of Road Runner / Egyptian Reggae fame, also seen-heard in rom-com Something About Mary.
Born in Paris of Swedish-Moroccan parents, with an early penchant for singing in Spanish and Italian, Berlin-based Brinks now recruits trio The Wave Pictures David Tattersall on guitar and vocals, drummer Jonny Helm and bassist Franic Rozycki to back him up, a perfect musical move.Well known on the European circuit for wearing flashy Hawaiian shirts, it opens with a Richman-like ditty from afore mentioned film, Hi, Jane a happy-hippy love song. His warbling voice perfectly accompanies this delightful shuffle and is a solid introduction to the band.
On Things Aint What not to be confused with the Duke Ellington song, Brinks laments the state of the world and people in the 21st century, harking for times-gone-by were talking about a whole world going wrong, you dont discuss that over decaf tea, while he introduces a bluesier hue but still dragging along his folky leanings. Theres a sizzling guitar solo worth noting too.
Lifting the pace considerably, End Of The World is a love song bouncing to a nifty shuffle making it the catchiest song so far.According to Brinks, Keep Your Head Up is the happiest song hes ever written, though in truth, theres a strong melancholic streak to it. Theres a sublime guitar solo dropped in now and again which defines the song as a standout.For Blues About The Size he takes inspiration from Count Basie, though theres nothing jazzy going on. Its a menacing ballad with bluesy solos set to a lazy hangdog backdrop.
Neil Young was very much in mind when he wrote Americana-tinged 39 Winks. Its a classy ballad that rolls steadily allowing all the bands skills to be featured, especially guitarist David Tattersall. Neil Youngs influences are heard all over closer All The Love a more nostalgic take of whats said in Things Aint What They Used To Be, even down to the vocal, that only lasts for 90 seconds of the song.
The verdict A real musos album.
Weblinks:stanleybrinks.com /myspace.com/therealstanleybrinks
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Hi, Jane
2. Things Aint What They Used To Be
3. End Of The World
4. Keep Your Head High
5. Blues About The Size Of Someone Elses Heart
6. Kiss Me Too
7. 39 Winks
8. Its The Road
9. Why The Martians Are Gone
10. All The Love That Was LeftView the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus= 0) {query += ‘url’ + i + ‘=’ + encodeURIComponent(links[i].href) + ‘&’;}}document.write(”);})();//]]]]>]]>
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.