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15 July, 2009
Biff Merchants - Harold CD review
Page 1
Biff Merchants - Harold CD review
Page 1
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Composed of Michael Straight (bass guitar, strings), Andrew Straight (electric guitar, vocals), Michael Cathro (guitars, synths, vocals), Paul Cathro (electric guitar, vocals, general percussion) and Ben “Biff” Sargeant (drums and gong), they have been hailed previously by myself and others as a tight cohesive unit. That is what they are.
The tracks contained on Harold were a decent period in gestation. Some were rehashed from the EP but according to the band, most came to fruition within 6 months to a year of recording. It was recorded by Stu Harwood at Sammy’s Entertainment Venue over 3 to 4 days. I think Sammy’s made a good venue to the epic sort of music that the Biffs like to expound.
Now I dunno what it is about having a picture on the front of the album of a deep-sea diver about to get into a hole in the ice. I did like the fact it is an old almost photostated image, like it has been blurred over time, like a stencil.
The argument continues when it comes to pigeonholing bands. With a hashing of different genres, from heavy metal to rock to synth to pop, the Biffs could be called progressive rock. Progressive rock by its very definition is a style of rock music that emerged in the 1970s and was the first to combine rock with jazz and other forms. Prog rock was intended to be just for listening and not necessarily dancing.
Progressive rock takes you places I suppose. It is an adventure. That would be the case with the Biffs merely for the case that a song of theirs may start sounding one way and then abruptly halfway through changes tack and moves off in a different musical direction. “The Battle for Jubilee Park” is a good example. It starts off sounding rather futuristic and slow, like a bunch of guys just having a jam about, experimenting. Then a pounding riff bursts in through the door and the song shifts gear and becomes a piece of rock with a hint of synth like Pink Floyd. I’ve thrown around their comparison to Pink Floyd before but that is their closest comparison. They seem to have found their footing in these songs and have obviously drawn upon inspirations like King Crimson and High Dependency Unit.
From a purely musical aspect, the songs sound well-rounded and I don’t think they have lost their way in the dark stumbling about so to speak. With the seismic shifts in musical tastes within tracks alone I at times was disorientated while listening to the album. Prog rock of that particular calibre is an acquired taste. Perhaps I need to listen to more prog rock. It has grown on me though, this album, after listening to it a few times.
After listening to it a few times it started to grow on me as it were. There is less experimentation, they are all well-rounded pieces. A band that once billed themselves as Kevin Costner cut into 5 pieces, this is a band that despite their strange ramblings in interviews, citing such influences as “sitting on a chair with two legs,” could go very far. Anyway, if they move to Scotland as the rumours say, they will certainly be missed.
AK
Posted by scott
