THE PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST - EP

One of the bands that are making waves in the underground circuit, they're not afraid to experiment, chucking in saxophone, flute, piccolo, didgeridoo and accordion, when the mood takes them, coming on like a crazed Gomez (the band not Addams Family member although.....).

"Chemical Youth" is a bona fide classic, all psych rock with fluid guitars and melodies galore. There's shades of Cornwall stoners despite their NE location, and if this three tracker is anything to go by, then the scribes have scrivven right.

BRONZE - "The Statue in the Stone"

Bronze are Paul Handyside, vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and Wurlitzer electric piano, Rob Tickell on bass, Ade Evans on drums, both adding backing vocals.
The opener 'Let It Rain' is an excellent song like Graham Parker and The rumour at their best and the kind of track that could easily grace the 'indie' charts, not that all that nonsense really matters.
'Presence of Greatness' continues the winning formula of knockout choruses and reminds us once again what a debt we owe to the 'jingly jangly' pioneers, The Byrds.
The title track itself has been attracting attention among other reviewers although I don't think it's particularly representative of the album, good though it is, reminding me of The Jam and more of 'punk' than of 'new wave'.
The song writing is consistently brilliant throughout the 12 track CD as one track flows seamlessly to the next, songs like 'Motel Of Love' and the anthemic 'Feel It Now' having a cosy familiarity to them.
The longest track 'Time Won't Set You Free' (4:55) closes the album and has a sixties feel to it- this is the sort of song that THE Creation band Ride (Sorry I keep going about this!) would have been proud to be associated with. I can pay no greater tribute- listen to 'Carnival of Light' and I hope you'll hear what I mean!
My only reservation (and it's very slight) is that I would have liked to heave heard more expansion of the songs like the final track and the excellent Beatlish ending to 'Pilot to Your Plane' (That could have gone on for ever in my book!)
Thanks to Tim and Terri~B for drawing Bronze to my attention.

(The Bus Stop Label BUS1026)

CENTRIC JONES - "Phase Rotator Retard"

Think a little early Yes (the brilliantly inventive 'Let Go Your Course'), a little early Camel ('Apollo 1620' and 'Slingshot') and maybe a little early Genesis (at various places in the album) and then, if you are familiar with the classic progressive rock music of Fonya think of that and not of those illustrious predecessors I mentioned. For Centric Jones is none other than Chris Fournier, bass player also revealed as a guitarist of some aplomb on the memorable 5 minute title track (albeit some of the guitar sounds keyboard generated!) The arrangement on the beautiful ballad 'Island in the Sky' is also a real ear catcher with a 'harmonica' sounds and some male 'voices' adding just the right atmosphere to the acoustic guitar melody. In fact the quality of the music is consistent over the 55 minutes and 11 tracks and the 'unplugged' reprise of the title track is a nice touch at the end.
Let's go back to the beginning though and two rhythmically dynamic openers taking the symphonic route with synth 'fanfares', soft 'flutes' and 'voices' and enough variation in the guitar and bass to keep the most avid progressive rock fan well occupied! 'New Dawn' marks the first appearance of vocalist Dale Degen- his contribution here is actually more 'monastic chant' than singing, just right for this track- the organ early on reminds me of Hugh Banton and there's nice interplay between organ and guitar throughout a very interesting 2:40. The music rewards repeated listening as, gradually, the onion is peeled (Sorry about the analogy- it's the best I can think of at short notice!)
Centric Jones captures the pioneering spirit of early 70s progressive rock music perfectly and 'Phase Rotator Retard' goes down in my book as one of the most significant releases of 2002.

(Phil Jackson)