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By JEFF MAKI
It's funny where life can take you. If someone had told me five years ago that I'd be listening to an album by a band named Bigelf, I would've laughed hysterically. And if they told me that I would be almost blown away by it, that would just be ridiculous, right? Well, it's 2007 and the album, Hex (originally a Europe-only release in 2003), from none other than Bigelf has landed on my desk. These guys look like vampire hippies on the album sleeve and churn out a concoction of so many influences, combining it into one hell of an original sound. And yes, I'm pretty much blown away.
There's really no ingenious way to put Bigelf's sound to paper, so I'll just rattle off some bands that I hear elements of and see what you think: Black Sabbath, Beatles, Black Crowes, Blind Melon, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Foo Fighters, White Stripes, Pink Floyd, The Doors ... to name a few.
This is retro-rock to the fullest, but there's also modern flair here in terms of songwriting and overall accessibility. “Madhatter's” opening riffs start the album like early Sabbath rippin' up a club somewhere in Birmingham. The band seems to be the brainchild of Daman Fox, but I could be wrong. He's credited with lead vocals, organ, piano, synthesizers and guitar on the album. And his look is something of a cross between Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes and Ozzy. His vocals range from an Ozzy-like style to more of a hippie-rock vibe, a la Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, and psychedelic vocals like David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. “Bats in the Belfry II” features some amazing synths backing acoustic guitar and these Floydian vocals. The real gem here is “Rock & Roll Contract.” Led by a remarkably memorable chorus, the lyrics deal with trying to make it in the business today and everything from the nostalgic guitar sound to the emotional piano notes make this an absolute classic. Seriously, if anyone would pick up on this, it would be a big hit. “Sunshine Suicide” and “Carry the Load” are straight-up stoner rockers, the latter being one of the heaviest tracks here, while “Black Moth's” psychedelia is something that most kids these days have never even heard; both are amazing. Every one of the album's songs stands out in it's own distinctive way.
There's just not enough great things to say about Bigelf; this is for rock n' roll fans and for rock fans alone. It's about time that someone's able to completely buck any sense of a trend and create a unique sound. Sure, I mentioned bands earlier, but these are just references to help give you the gist of Bigelf's sound. This really is like nothing I have heard and I cannot stop listening. Wow.
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