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. |
