The Electric Angels have one of the greatest tag lines I’ve ever seen: “Glam Rock for the Future, Power Pop for Progressives, Martinis at 5:00.”
This is one of those bands that exist only in a virtual state, sending tracks across the Atlantic from England to New England (neat!) and back again. The members are Bob Kingdon (guitars) and Eric Daum (keyboards/loops/programming). Both share singing and songwriting duties. As they further explain: “Bob brings to the partnership a great Power Pop sensibility and an earthshaking Yamaha SG2000; Eric brings an obsessive compulsive's penchant for tinkering on complex mixes and cold beer (He's the American after all).” Their music is inspired by the great Bill Nelson (who also inspired their band name), Marc Bolan, David Bowie, early Pink Floyd, rock n’ roll, power pop, Runny Cheese and “girls in short skirts and tight shirts.” As a first time listener, I noticed a similarity not only to the “sound” of The Ramones and T.Rex, but to their deceptively simple topics and arrangements. “What’s It All About?” (written by Kingdon) establishes the Electric Angels sound, which is basically slabs of overdriven guitars playing steady chords, along with bass, drums and keys. With both chaps singing (I think), it’s a bit of an English-American blend, though both guys sound like they have colds. The song’s lyrics caution against rushing the narrator within a love affair or simply living everyday life. Keyboardist Daum wrote “Little Monster” which is based on a sort of honky tonk piano riff, ornamented by synths emulating horns and other sounds. Hearing Daum sing on his own reveals that he has something close to a crooner’s tonality, with a pleasingly low pitch. The preponderance of keys along with tasteful electric guitar gives this track that classic ‘80s home taper sound. “Shameless” has an opening that explicitly recalls T. Rex, but goes into a pop-inflected anthem about someone who is… well, shameless! The boys really pile on the tracks here, and surprisingly don’t overload the hell out of their song in the process (though it’s a close call!) and the ending stops on a dime. “December” is somewhat similar in arrangement but adds some cool wah wah and chorus-effect guitars to the mix. The lead break has a Velvet Underground simplicity. With “Maybe Today” the boys tip their toes into political commentary (“It’s time for us to vote them out!”) and inject a hardcore musical energy while the vocals sit placidly in the center, not breaking a sweat. The guitars are a bit more jagged to match the faster tempo. “Catharsis” features a majestic descending rock riff slathered with Mellotron-style synths. I guess the “catharsis” of the title involves telling someone that “it’s not a party whenever you’re around…you let us down.” Ouch! “Searching” opens with Bowie-like electric guitar before shifting into more of a British Invasion pop single sound, while never losing that cool fuzz guitar. This song has one of my favorite arrangements as the instruments have a little space in which to breathe. “I Gotta Crush on You” might be the song where I first thought of the Ramones, similar as it is to “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.” Very simple sentiments (exactly as the song implies) in a bed of blasting guitars and keys. I love how the vocal lines “I gotta crush on you” and “I wanna be your boyfriend” gently interact with each other toward the end. “Beautiful Sky (Carnaby Street Version)” is a slower, psychedelic tune that would go great with an LSD-inspired light show, with dreamy keys and Davey Jones-style whispering. The set concludes with “What’s It All About? (Reprise)” which to these ears sounds like the opening track with the guitars pushed back a bit, giving it even more of a British Invasion sound. To sum up, Electric Angels have some great role models and more than acquit themselves in their shadows. Worth checking out and how!
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