Blues will destroy you … But the spirit of the soul heals.
We don’t know if anyone else said that (we just did) but you can almost hear the sentiment running through each vibrato moment of this record.
And so, if you pine for the agonized psychedelic soul of Janis and you miss Marvin so much that it still hurts… And if you want some soul trickled onto your hard blues to make ’em a little sweeter… Then the Alabama Shakes are a perfect fit.
Some critics have already suggested this album is difficult and unnecessarily arty. Some say they have tried too hard. Others point out there are a few duds in there (there are not) and that the various jangly sound experiments disrupt the flow. But we suggest that all these things may not be so bad… Because now the Shakes have got your attention! Because you need to concentrate if you are really gonna understand the joy and the pain. Don’t let it just wash over you. Let it soak in. Deep.
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The very first track on the recording ‘Sound & Colour’ has the type of sound-experimentation that you had better get used to. It has silvery glockenspiel chips and a pastel background with a silver finish of sun-burnished peach-fuzz.
It also has angular strings and jazzy horn corners. It’s like looking at your backyard through some ripple effect glazing – and recognising something familiar which is actually quite strange.
‘Dont Wanna Fight’ is slacker and more elastic than a rubber band bracelet. The rhythm pulsates like a thumb hit by a jack-hammer.
Everyone seems to agree that this is one of the strongest tracks on the album. It is rooted in honesty, so it sits at the back of your scalp, before crawling into your head late at night, to knock some sense into you. It’s that kind of song.
‘Dunes’ has that unblemished vocal that we were seeking right from the start. The song is simple and fancy-free with knockabout drums and guitars that are cheerfully fuzzbunny… hair messed up and bubble-gummy. The pay-off for your patient wait is some rock-power in the last third. This is gritty and loopy in equal measure.
We liked ‘Future People’ with those anklets of silver guitar that reflect the pain in that incredible voice. Just when you thought this was a complicated mesh of soul, out comes a big fat vat of rock to roll over you.
‘The Greatest’ is so sludgy and real that you can imagine your kids playing it down at your local bar. It’s almost like a lost Stones record. A real gem.
And ‘Shoegaze’ has some more rhythm and blues. With an effective hook and a melody that flows real nice. This will stand several listens and still continues to grow on you.
The album concludes with ‘Over My head’ with some more of that strangely shimmering imagery. It is tender, serene and totally compelling.
It is likely that Brittany and her band still want to be loved by you… But they are not willing to be re-sold and re-packaged in the retro-vintage store any more. And who can blame them? What artist wants to be strangled by the convention of tradition?
So this album is a reminder that the Alabama Shakes are not the revivalist blues-soul outfit you thought they were.
They are not fragile antiques that should be kept locked up behind glass and sent to your ungrateful brothers when you die.
No, they are living, breathing creatures of the 21st Century. With cool hearts, young desires (yet untapped) and a lot of experimenting still to be done.
Words: @neilmach 2015 ©
Main Image: @neilmach
