As was the case with its predecessor, ‘Rad Times Xpress IV’, ‘Electric Brick Wall’ is patchy – a common theme throughout Jennifer Herrema’s career. This does at least mean this latest offering doesn’t arrive as a shocking disappointment on that level.
Lead single ‘Physical Emotions’ suggested a change of direction for Black Bananas, with its funky electro disco groove and yes, ‘Electric Brock Wall’ does contain tracks that are every bit as abysmal in their half-assed, half-baked 80s funk stylings (‘Give it to Me’ is plain sloppy and the less said about the smoochy ‘Creepin the Line’ the better). there’s also a definite groove – and an electro element – to ‘Highway Down’ but here it’s balanced with enough rock action to work.
Of course, none of this should be taken too seriously, and they sound like they’re having a ball. Moreover, the album goes contain some great moments that more than justify its existence. Ok, so ‘Ride the Chump’ is plain awful, sounding for all the world like a drunken rock band playing a Roxette cover, but at least it sounds like it’s meant to be this way, and ‘Hey Rockin’ sounds very like Butthole Surfers’ ‘Sweat Loaf’ (in turn a fucked-up parody of sorts of Black Sabbath’s ‘Sweet Leaf’), and rock it indeed does. It’s all about the referencing and the recycling, the dredging and refiltering, twisting and crunching.
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Credit where it’s due, Black Bananas have definitely stretched themselves here: the hits counter the misses, and ‘Electric Brick Wall’ could well win them new fans, which at this stage in a career is no mean feat.
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