Last year I had the misfortune of having to review an album by a band called Toupé who based their lacklustre music around a supposedly unique dual combination of 4 and 8 string bass guitars. The net effect was distinctly underwhelming. Imagine therefore my total lack of excitement and feverish expectation at again being confronted with a brace of basses, once more billed "unique" as outlined in the press release for 4-piece American band IMOGENE.
Fortunately my fears prove unfounded as listening to IMOGENE's eponymous album is a complete pleasure from start to finish. Founder David Melbye describes his band as "Pink Floyd meets Funkadelic" and more contemporaneously as "Radiohead meets Queens of The Stone Age". With 4 such diverse ground-breaking and critically lauded bands cited as the mainstays of IMOGENE's sound the band has much to live up to.
That the confluence of influences succeeds is primarily a result of the quality of the songs coupled with the lithe and supple flow of the bands rhythm section. The mood is predominantly mellow in a stoned psychedelic way but IMOGENE avoid falling into the trap of allowing such a vibe to become a case of style over substance. Not for them endless instrumental work-outs and songs without structure. All 12 of the album's tracks are concise and accessible.
The spectre of grunge also plays its part in IMOGENE's sound with acts like Nirvana, Soundgarden and the UK's Swervedriver springing to mind on opening track 'Happy Communing' and 'Daath'. Shoe-gazing exponents Ride and Catherine Wheel can also be heard in the vocals and 'spaced' sonics of tracks like 'Wormwood Raindrops' and 'Seraphim' while 'Paper Dolls' and 'Tongue and Groove' could be a grungier version of Ian Brown; the beats of 'Dark Room' even recalling his collaboration with Unkle on 'Be There'.
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Yet despite all these musical reference points IMOGENE have their own unique voice. The treated sound of electric piano, the harmonious quality of the songs' melodies and the pulsating glow of their beats ensures that they stamp (or given the laid-back atmosphere perhaps 'massage' is a better word) their own authority on the influences they've absorbed.
Overall, there is a seemingly effortless but affecting warmth to IMOGENE's music that soon envelops the listener, creating a vibe that is both comforting and long-lasting well beyond the album's close.
A genuine listening pleasure.
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