
Artist: Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub
Title: Bleach House
Genre: Alternative Rock / Avant-Garde
Release Date: 22nd August 2014
Label: Cargo Records
Album Review
Boing, boing, rattle, rattle, it’s THE BIRTHDAY PARTY meets the B52’s, and it’s business as usual from the very beginning in the strange, wibbly-wobbly, quirky world that revolves erratically in the kooky head of Mr Phillip Boa. Since the eighties, this is an artist who often defies categorisation, his odd blend of styles, lyrics and humour endearing him to different generations of fans across different countries and continents. That he decided to make a metal album - as you do - immediately after his most successful release ( 1993’s ‘Boaphenia’) is a testament to the delightfully cavalier attitude he has to his creativity and success. ‘Bleach House’, released in August, is his latest offering, a sprawling 13 tracks with an additional 8 bonus songs on CD2.
And so we get the jittery, spiky post-punk lunacy of ‘The One Who Howls At The Moon’, the bizarre disjointed aural assault of the title track with its lush sing-along chorus and the darkly seductive ‘Standing Blinded On The Rooftops’, all jostling for attention. By ‘Baby Please Go Home’ there has been more inventiveness and wildly melodic episodes than most bands manage in a whole career. It sounds effortless, but never complacent. The contrasts working throughout ‘Bleach House’ also make this something quite joyous. Who else would think of following the hard-rock ‘n roll zaniness of ‘Beatsey Youth’ with the deliberately cheesy cabaret swing of ‘Are You The One From Heaven’? Perhaps ‘Snake Plissken’, name-dropping John Carpenter’s cult movie ‘Escape From LA’, is a step up the nutter ladder too far, it’s a bit of a soulless and ultimately empty mis-fire here. But things right themselves nicely with the cutesy pop of ‘The Fear That Falls’ or the shimmer and glitter of the wonderful ‘Chronicles Of The Heartbroken’. And the whole album seems to successfully condense itself down into final track ‘Icons Of Anarchy’, a furiously eccentric belter, hurtling blissfully along on a simple blast of percussion and buzzing guitars.
Disc 2 is a mildly distracting addition to the whole, with a couple of interesting covers of songs by THE VASELINES, which were also covered by NIRVANA. But it’s the core songs of ‘Bleach House’ that demand the most attention. Strangely timeless, and absolutely existing in that unique place Phillip Boa has forged and crafted over the years, this is proof that age doesn’t dull creativity, and that taking risks, being true to your vision, and knowing a fine song when you find one is a rare gift, and one to treasure. Boing, boing, rattle, rattle… round of applause.
Tracklist
CD1 01. Kill The Future 02. The One Who Howls At The Moon 03. Bleach House 04. Standing Blinded On The Rooftops 05. Baby Please Go Home 06. Beatsey Youth 07. Are You The One From Heaven 08. Snake Plissken 09. The Fear That Falls 10. Ueberblendung 11. Chronicles Of The Heartbroken 12. Down With The Protocols 13. Icons Of Anarchy |
CD2 01. A Scary Parade 02. Brothers And Sisters 03. Mastur Bating 04. Magnesium 05. Her Majesty Is Itching Me 06. Molly’s Lips 07. In My Diary 08. Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam |
Line-up
Philip Boa - Vocals and guitars
Pris - Female vocals
Maik Timmermann - Bass
Moses Pellberg Drums
Detlef Götte (Toett) - Keyboard, Percussion, Programming, Samples
Oliver Klemm - Guitar
Website
http://www.phillipboa.de / https://www.facebook.com/phillipboaandthevoodooclub
Cover Picture

Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10