Golden Love Songs From The Evil Island Of The Handsome Tropical Cannibals
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By
[]Stoned Revivals
"Golden Love Songs From The Evil Island Of The Handsome Tropical Cannibals"(MusicStreet)Rating: ****
Choice cuts:"Loose Boogie 8,""Mondo Magick,""Stoned Alleycat,""Venus With Braces."Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Singapore band, Stoned Revivals. With an album title that's (wow!) such a mouthful, you might expect some truly incomprehensible music from a bunch of experimental musicians. But by the time Stone Revivals rock their way from '70s vibes to Sesame Street ("Heartache"with its kiddish sing-along chorus) -- all within the first three tracks of the album -- you'd be convinced that this band have definitely got something substantial to flaunt.In case you've never heard of them before, these handsome cannibals are from the"evil island"of Singapore. That makes it all the more of a wonder how they could possibly craft songs as funky as"Loose Boogie 8"or"Spanish Fly."The whole album is a blast through '70s sensibility -- from dancefloor numbers to slow moody pieces. While these guys seem to be stuck in a time warp, it would be unfair to pigeonhole them into a '70s tribute act. Why? Because they are so eclectic. You can check out acid-jazz on"Mr. Moon's Confusion Groove"with its rich basslines and keyboard patterns, and pseudo-Latin rhythms on"Stoned Alleycat,"laced with horns, bongos, and maracas. On"Shoe,"they even throw in a didjeridu with a dark Santana-like guitar lurking in the background. Then, all of a sudden, they switch to Beck with a drum loop from"Where It's At"on"Mondo Magick."Undoubtedly, these guys are not afraid to mix and match -- for example, horns with decks, and acoustic guitars with samples. This is what makes for interesting listening.In the end, this might well have been the best local album ever made, if the band had trimmed off one or two tracks to make the album more streamlined and impactful. Ultimately, these"Golden Love Songs"are further proof that made-in-Singapore music can be good. -- Redmund Law
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