Pirates
ahoy! Bath rockers plunder the lesser sung songbook (and the
dressing-up box) to great effect!
Delving into rock's
salad days for inspiration is of course nothing new. The Darkness
were seemingly on the verge of world domination a few years back with
their cheeky blend of Thin Lizzy riffs and Mercury-esque camp. Rather
than taking their cues from such big-hitters, Bath-based quartet
Ulysses have opted to dig a little deeper into rock's back pages for
a sound that never tries to be cool, but is a lot more fun than what
most current bands have to offer.
It's not difficult to
guess what makes up their record collection, no doubt a healthy mix
of low-rent glam, stompy powerpop and the catchier end of classic
rock. There are echoes of Slade's Coz I Luv You, (on the opening
chords of Oranges & Mary), Steppenwolf's The Pusher (on
French/Japanese), and The Move's Flowers In The Rain (on L.O.V.E.
Yeah) along with a cod-reggae section on the title track, worthy of
Paul McCartney's Wings.
It's the Wings
comparison that's most on the mark, the band's songs straddling the
line between rock and pop, with a sense of fun that sometimes borders
on endearingly daft, just like the ones Sir Macca used to write.
Factor in some rather ace harmonies, the odd musical joke and and an
off-the-wall dress sense and you've a recipe for something rather
ace.
What really makes the
record is not their repackaging of rock's past into a fun present day
version but the fact that they write really good, hook-laden tunes,
along with grade-A killer lyrics. A few spins of this album and
you'll be whistling/singing/humming them all week.
The band will be
appearing at The International Pop Overthrow festival in Liverpool in
May. It's a great indoors festival which takes place at the Cavern
Club and Cavern pub, and a chance to catch loads of brilliant bands
at a bargain price. Ulysses play on Saturday 18th May. Do
yourself a favour and go check them out. If you can't make it buy
this album instead, it won't disappoint.
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