What are you up to this weekend? Me? I fancy a trip to Bikiniland…
It just so happens, Bikiniland is the stonking new album from the frantic maestros that make up duo The Bikini Bottoms. The album saw its official release last Friday at the Graveyard Bash in McChuills, by all accounts a rocking great night of frenzied hellraisin’.
The Bikini Bottoms have been around for a while now, building up a cult following , honing their edgy rockabilly sound and creating the full immersive package with their furiously paced live show, trademark fringed cowboy shirts and a sideline in natty merchandise.
The question is, can the seemingly bottomless supply of onstage exuberance and vibrant energy translate onto record? The answer is a firm aye-aye captain, no problemo. as a certain undersea character may say…
The Bikini Bottoms have an abundance of treasures in their chest to offer. Their distinct sound finds its origin in rock ’n’ roll, while each track on the album leans towards a different era’s or style that has evolved from the genre along the way.
Pure Unadulterated Rockabilly
The opening distortion and backwards played loop clears to reveal Spring Clean, an joyous opening track that is pure unadulterated rockabilly. When the Sky Opens Up is a far more sinister affair altogether, an echoey reverb-laden dark and moody garage rocker complete with stylistic creepy keyboard.
Fuschia is the rabble rousing track Kurt Cobain & Co would have produced had they gone down the surf-garage guitar route while Zombie initially has you lulled into falsely believing you are getting a more gentle 1950s dream rock track as it creeps up on you, as its cold dead zombie psychobilly hand suddenly grabs you tearing the flesh from your face. If you really wanted 1950s dream rock, then Long Black Hair gives you just that, taking you down a sweet riff laden road with its hypnotic rhythm soundtracking a love song, of sorts…one of the album highlights.
Movie Star rocks out in a ballsy blues-rock fashion, a track that wouldn’t sound out of place on a White Stripes album before the band return to the psychobilly influences for a superb version of Sharks offshoot band Frenzy’s I See Red complete with some magnificent upright bass from Sy McBass.
Welcome to the band of tomorrow…
Try not to have “Welcome to the Land of Tomorrow” stuck in your head all day after listening to the final track on the album. This addictive refrain kicks off the track which then bursts into a furiously volatile 100mph adrenaline rush. Spoken parts giving away the origins of the band’s name “I want to watch Spongebob with a bowl of Cheerios” before leaving us with the refrain once again.
Earlier on the album, The tape was still running at the end of Fuschia capturing “That was spot on, that was absolutely spot on … Come on!”. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Welcome to the band of tomorrow….