DL / CD (Sold Out)
Out Now
8 / 10
Alternative, three piece from St Helens are on a mission to
upset as much of the music industry as possible.
Starcrossed Radio is one clever way to start an album. The gorgeous drumbeat from Be May Baby runs throughout
and it soon become apparent that the lyrics are many song titles strung
together to unravel a seemingly subtle story.
It is only on subsequent listens that the song titles in question also
carry the same Hal Blaine percussion – Leader Of The Pack, Just Like Honey, Everything
Must Go – it is, in short, genius.
It’s a tough call where to go after such a stunning opening
but, as The Bordellos often testify, the only way is onwards as Secret Love
strums into being with an delicate guitar and gentle patter as Brian Bordello
muses over young love behind a backdrop of Leonard Cohen records and, the scene
is now set. The Bordellos aren’t your
average band, in many ways they are anti-music with a distinct punk attitude,
but a punk attitude that is knitted together with an interest in classic pop
and music.
Below the eccentric sound of the Bordellos, the off-key
vocals and occasional out of tune guitar are incredibly well-written
songs. The charm for instance of Brief
Taste is wonderful – a catchy song that refuses to shake free from your
conscience and the real meaning of lo-fi D.I.Y. music is plain to see. The appeal of the band is in their
down-to-earth honesty and alluring grit, anyone can make an album but not
everyone can write a decent song.
Their interest in music of all genres keeps an open-minded
approach to their songs and if someone said that The Bordellos were going to
record an album of Frank Sinatra covers then it probably wouldn’t even raise an
eyebrow. Their output shows no boundaries
and it is this that makes them so endearing.
Tracks like Fuckable are textbook punk and are as relevant
now as they ever were, and evidence that good music never ages particularly in
the case of Loneliness Of The Late Night Shopper which is subtle, gentle and
simply perfect.
The Bordellos aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but scratch the surface
of their sometimes harsh sound and you will find some of the most
straightforwardly fascinating and often repulsive songs you will hear this
year. They are a reprieve from the mundane
manufactured pop of the moment and may also be the antidote. Not everyone knows it yet but, everyone loves
The Bordellos.
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