Bloody Beach – Boys
The self-described “tropidelica” of Bergen's Bloody Beach will warm up the chilliest winters
Boys, the second album from Bloody Beach, finds the Norwegian band cementing their place among a fine tradition of Scandinavians who make incongruously sunny music (The Tough Alliance, The Kings of Convenience, Annie, etc). The band's self-described “tropidelica” will warm up the chilliest Bergen winters with its potent mix of pulsing, samba rhythms and West African dub, with plenty of woozy psychedelia for good effect.
The first half of this record demonstrates a band brimming with interesting and unusual ideas. First single, You'll be Fine, Sister, is a breakneck bossa nova tour, while Troubled Minds mixes the dub of Lee “Scratch” Perry with the improvisational psychedelia of Dungen. Maria Magdelena is about as Bloody Beach as it gets, consisting wholly of a '60s lecture about the effects of LSD backed by a jam session. It's all motoring along nicely until the well of instrumental creativity starts to run dry...
There are hints at the trouble ahead early on with the decidely hackneyed, almost milquetoast lyricism of Troubled Minds and Why Do You Always Let Me Down. These songs are saved by some terrific woozy/experimental arrangements, respectively, but later in the album, when the novelty of the sound has worn off and the uninspired clichés abound, the album does get a little tiresome.
However, Boys is still a pretty great album and its originality and vision should not be discounted. Like most bands that deal heavily in psychedelia, or tropidelica, this is a sound to be experienced live, and there's no doubt that these songs will be a big hit on the summer festival circuit.
Listen to: Mezcal Letters, You'll be Fine, Sister
Recommended activities: Dancing in the sunshine