Imbecilica is the second album by the US/UK rock band The Imbeciles whose first line-up imploded on tour in London in 2019. Through lockdown Butch Dante and John Kent put out an EP and rebuilt the band that managed to get one song Sunday leaguer onto Match Of The Day where Youth heard it and invited them to record at his studio in Spain that has become his own version of Conny Plank's set up in Wolterpath to allow the band to record the album they hear in there heads and also to totally focus and of course get as mad as they need to be.
The album opens with Tiny Blue People that may rework a riff that got Elastica into trouble with Wire, but they add far more elements to make it their own, with an imperious bass line from Youth and vocals all about the Tiny Blue People who live at the bottom of American swimming pools, umm yeah but it's a good analogy for the madness going on in the US, this was also the first single from the album.
It's Not About You is a pop-punk song that reminds the more self-centered among us that not everything is about you and no matter where you seek absolution it might not be granted to you.
I'm Not The One has a solid Killing Joke style bass sound with a slightly gothy poppier edge to it that reminds me musically if not lyrically with the sound Youth had on Brilliant's Soul Murder (The first record I bought with Youth's mixing skills in evidence.) Even if this isn't quite as dancefloor ready it would sound good on a loud club system as he tells you over and over he's Not The One.
London Rain is a really nice shimmering psychedelic pop song with plenty of reverb, this is perfect for a blissed-out day, wandering around town in the rain as thunderstorms of guitars rain down on you as the drums pommel your head and you see all the refracted light infiltrating your mind as you dream of a cup of earl grey as everything washes over you.
Van Man is sort of crunchy road rock for a man out in his Van having adventures, this sounds like it ought to be heard in a big room so all the dynamics can really be heard so that bass can thunder properly.
The Name Of The Rose is an covid anthem that also goes into the myth's of the Name Of The Rose and what has been done in The Name Of Roses over good anthemic squalling rock.
I Won't Let You Down is pulsating drums and bass and a good building vocal as he gets a bit sensitive in his pleading to be allowed to look after you this has a very Simple Minds kind of beat but without the synth's and in a much warmer sound that builds into a great spaced out freak out.
Your Gonna is a good stop start quiet loud song to list many things good and bad with some blues freak out psyche bits this goes all over the place and probably needs to be heard live.
Soldiers & Junkies is a good, distorted look at the life and interaction between the two, this almost feels like they'll be wanting us to sing along to this terrace chant style live.
Let's Go is every bit as driven and driving song about going out and having a good time with some wild guitar and chant along chorus along the motorik bass as they try there best not to miss out as they are always out having the guitars blister the very thought they might not be on the guest list tonight.
The Album closes with Superstar! Not that they wonder where you are, but this song is a plea to be allowed to be Superstars, in their own private world they already are, but not they are also not sure they want all the trappings either, it struts and preens and then slowly breaks apart before all the harmonies get going and it goes a bit noir and nasty, a very easy song to get stuck in your head.
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