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THE BAMBOOS: You Ain’t No Good – 2010 – Single review + video

Rating:

Second single off The Bamboos fourth studio LP 4, You Ain’t No Good is also the second big mod-soul stomper this month what with Kid British’s Winner out in a week or so. So who ain’t no good? Certainly not mysterious Tongan King Merc whose sterling vocals come on like Al Green meeting Paul Weller. Possibly it’s the band who have decided that a video which makes them look like the shifty no-good denizens of post-midnight Sydney’s Kings Cross (incidentally the place they bumped into King Merc apparently) having their mug shots done is the look they’d like to accompany their rise to the mainstream from the contemporary soul-funk underground. Then again, it could just as easily apply to the Kid British single which this is at least head and feather haircut, if not sixties’ cravat and shoulders, above. The digital release is accompanied by a fat refix of Up On The Hill by DJ Yoda and assorted versions and mixes of Keep Me In Mind…um…don’t suppose there’s any chance of a 7″? Vid below links…
(Out now on Tru Thoughts)
Listen to The Bamboos – You Ain’t No Good
The Bamboos – Myspace
thebamboos.com

Posted on 20th June 2010 no comments

THE BAMBOOS: 4 – 2010 – Album review + Free download ‘Tears In The Rain’

Rating:

While Australian band The Bamboos seem to have struggled with an album name for this one they have, as usual, had considerably less trouble with the funk. Keen perusers of this site may have noticed the massive big-ups that On The Sly a.k.a. the first single (and also the first track) from this, The Bamboos fourth studio LP, has been getting over the last couple of months. And rightly so, for it is a massive slinky funk beast featuring the band’s secret weapon in the form of sultry vocalist Kylie Auldist who sings on most of the best tracks on 4. On The Sly is the highlight among highlights but also on offer is the gorgeous, moody, loping funk-soul of Ghost, the muscular jazz-funk of Got To Get It Over (by which I was surprised to find myself won over) and King’s Cross – which is apparently not about a dodgy area in London of the same name (or even a dodgy area in Sydney come to that) but a gritty slice of spy-funk. In fact (now a full-time member of The Bamboos’ line-up) Auldist appears on no fewer than seven of twelve tracks and demonstrates equal facility, by turns, across a range of sub-genres which (other than those mentioned above) also include more seventies-influenced numbers like Keep Me In Mind, the early Motown-ish Never Be The Girl and firmly establishes herself as right up there with a certain Sharon Jones. Naturally this means that there are far fewer of the instrumentals that characterised earlier Bamboos LPs – especially when you consider that two of the remaining five on here are also vocal tracks. One of these is a blinder of a mod soul gem featuring King Merc who hails from Tonga and sounds a bit like Paul Weller. The other is a collabo with Quannum Projects luminary Lyrics Born who squanders the perfectly decent funky backing provided by the ‘Boos with a dull virtually one-note ‘melody’ where he moans on about how some chick he fancies hasn’t called him back. I’m not surprised. If it was up to me, I’d have buried this at the back of the album as a ‘special feature’ of a cd release only. All of which shenanigans leaves three instrumentals with the trippy sitar funk of Up On The Hill being far and away the best.
I’ve always thought that the Bamboos’ best tracks have always been ones with vocals – Step It Up, Bring It Home, My Baby’s Cheating and Tears Cried to name but a few. Each release has included at least one classic of modern funk and the vocal element has increased with successive albums – which on the evidence of this continues to be a highly successful manoeuvre as 4 is pretty much what the funky doctor ordered. Just don’t invite Lyrics Born back unless he’s packed a tune eh?
(Released 29 March on Tru Thoughts)
DOWNLOAD LP track Like Tears In Rain FREE HERE

Listen to The Bamboos – On The Sly/ Turn It Up

The Bamboos – Myspace

thebamboos.com

Posted on 4th March 2010 no comments

THE BAMBOOS: On The Sly (feat. Kylie Auldist) – 2009 – Single review + Video

Rating:

(Read full album review of Bamboos’ LP 4 HERE)
A well-deserved full marks for On The Sly (LISTEN/ WATCH below) as The ‘Boos get downright sexy with this massive slice of super-heavy funk-slink punctuated by colossal hammond stabs and fronted by an ultra-sultry Kylie Auldist who trounces her own last single with ease. But enquiring minds want to know – is Auldist (listed in the press release as ‘regular guest vocalist’ but band ‘member’ on bamboos.com) a band member or not? The monkey would hate to get that wrong after the last spat with Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ number one publici- er I mean fan…
…Flipside Turn It Up (currently available as a digital download – LISTEN HERE), on the other hand, finds Lance and co. providing a meaty flatbed of funk for former Quannum rapper Lyrics Born who squanders both this and his own highly respectable soul rasp somewhat with a fairly limited melody and thus fails quite to recapture the glory days of his late 90s Poets Of Rhythm collab I Changed My Mind. Doesn’t matter, you’ll be replaying the A-side ad nauseum anyway – check the vid below. Heads up for fourth album – er – 4 due March.
(Out on Tru Thoughts 8 February 2010)
The Bamboos – Myspace
bamboos.com

Posted on 29th December 2009 no comments

KYLIE AULDIST: It’s On/ Made Of Stone – 2009 – Single review

Rating:

The gorgeous voice of Kylie Auldist (which sounds better than ever on this) plus funky backing from The Bamboos on the lead single off forthcoming second LP Made Of Stone ought to be soul gold. And yet, while not underwhelmed, I’m not exactly overwhelmed by either It’s On or Made Of Stone. More, kind of…just…whelmed. So what’s up? It’s the tunes stupid! Maybe a year between albums wasn’t long enough for our Kylie? Maybe The Bamboos spread themselves too thin being – um – themselves, doing backing for Ms Auldist and a few of them moonlighting as Cookin On 3 Burners. Or maybe everyone involved on this just switched on cruise control and popped out for a stubby…who knows?
Out now on Tru Thoughts

Listen to Kylie Auldist – It’s On/ Made Of Stone

Kylie Auldist – Myspace

kylieauldist.com

Posted on 13th July 2009 10 comments

MONKEYBOXING.COM – Top 10 Albums – 2008

Here’s what you should have bought…
See Monkeyboxing.com’s – Top 10 Tracks – 2008 HERE)

1. THE BLACK KEYS – Attack & Release (V2)
Triumphant fuzzed-out blues groove return for the ‘Keys.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

2. K-DELIGHT – Audio Revolution (Playing Around)
K-Dilla on the cut – the year’s most convincing B-boy document.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

3. THE BAMBOOS – Side Stepper (Tru Thoughts)
“Oh my god that’s some funky shit!”
Listen
Read more
Myspace

4. UGLY DUCKLING – Audacity (Fat Beats)
Long Beach hip-hoppers back with a more sophisticated and mature sound.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

5. THE COOL KIDS – The Bake Sale (Chocolate Industries)
“Make some noise, it’s the new black version of The Beastie Boys”!
Listen
Read more
Myspace

6. DJ DESIGN – Jetlag (Look Records)
The former Foreign Legion DJ makes his mark with this fresh LP.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

7. PARKER – Western Soul (Rocstar Recordings)
Bristol bassssssssssss!
Listen
Read more
Myspace

8. JAKE ONE – White Van Music (Rhymesayers)
Collaboration city! Jake One puts Seattle hip-hop on the map.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

9. THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS – Plug & Play (One Note)
Multiple flavours of effortless funk from mod, to New Orleans, afrobeat to Blue Note.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

10. G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE – Superhero Brother (Brushfire)
Feel-good funky, rootsy, blues bumps, like always.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

Posted on 18th December 2008 no comments

MONKEYBOXING.COM – Top 10 Tracks – 2008

Sounds you hear that linger in your ear…
N.B. Chart includes re-releases but NOT unreleased tracks
See Monkeyboxing.com’s – Top 10 Albums – 2008 HERE)

1. THE SNUGS (feat. Little Hannah Collins) – Trying (Freestyle)
Laid-back vintage ska horns, clattering breakbeat and proper soul vocals from the gorgeous ‘Little’ Hannah Collins.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

2. JIMMY HICKS – Mr Big Stuff (New Orleans Funk Vol 2 LP) (Soul Jazz)
Mad funky strut – takes Jean Knight’s track and throws it straight back.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

3. DJ DESIGN (feat. Guilty Simpson) – Ferocious (Jetlag LP) (Look Records)
Mental sci-fi boom-bap battle rhyme!
Listen
Read more
Myspace

4. BETTY MOORER – It’s My Thing (Andy Smith: Diggin The BGP Crates LP) (BGP)
Funky soul is the sexiest music ever. Betty Moorer tells it like it is.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

5. AIM (feat. Q-Ball & Curt Cazal) – Before (Birchwood EP) (ATIC)
Q Ball and Curt Cazal hook up again to trade effortless rhymes over an Aim beat and orchestral soul horn loop about how “Everything was whips and chains” back in the day. Genius.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

6. THE COOL KIDS – What It Is (The Bake Sale LP) (Chocolate Industries)
Breaaakkkkkks! Old school heat in an Eric B and Rakim style.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

7. ALL NATURAL – Back Slap (Elements: Fire LP) (All Natural)
Capital D returns with super dope rhymes while Tone B Nimble pulls out all his best cuts.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

8. THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS – All We Can Do (Plug & Play LP) (One Note)
Ultra itchy break, squelchy wah-wah and bass like an eel hitting the side of a dustbin.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

9. THE BAMBOOS (feat. Ty) – I Can’t Help Myself (Side Stepper LP) (Tru Thoughts)
Jump-up funk that heads straight for the dancefloor.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

10. THE BLACK KEYS – Same Old Thing (Attack & Release LP) (V2)
Still got game! More planet-sized blues-rock groove.
Listen
Read more
Myspace

Posted on 18th December 2008 no comments

BUZZ CHART – DEC. ’08

1. (NEW) Ugly Duckling – Einstein Do It (Night On Scratch Mountain) (Audacity LP) – Fat Beats
DJ Einstein on the cut y’all! Massive.
Listen

2. (NEW) Shantisan – Bring The Bossa Back (Resense 008 EP) – Resense
Drum n Bossa? Latin vocal? Party!
Listen

3. (NEW) Q Tip – Won’t Trade (The Renaissance LP) – Motown
Motown sampling bomb. Shoulda had more like this on the LP.
Listen

4. (NEW) K Delight (feat. Koaste) – Teenagers From Outer Space (Audio Revolution LP) – Playing Around
Swirling tech-hop banger and the best lyrics all year from Koaste.
Listen

5. (1) Andy Taylor (feat. Louisa Rox) – Pray (Unreleased)
Ridiculously euphoric funky anthem.
Listen

6. (3) The Bamboos – Tears Cried (Side Stepper LP) – Tru Thoughts
More funky sister soul action from Melbourne’s finest
Listen Read Review…

7. (NEW) The New Mastersounds – Hole In The Bag (Plug & Play LP) – Etage Noir
A fat nugget of organs, wah-wah and clattering drums.
Listen

8. (NEW) Da Wiesel – Raw Rapture (Resense 008 EP) – Resense
Female vocal breaks-track, cutting up Sly Stone, and the Mohawks
Listen

9. (NEW) The Bas Lexter Ensample – Bas Lexter’s Rock (Resense 008 EP) – Resense
Uptempo brass-driven breaks.
Listen

10. (NEW) T Bird & The Breaks – Juice (Learn About It LP) (Unreleased)
Funky-ass soul so raw it’s still bleeding.
Listen

Posted on 1st December 2008 no comments

THE BAMBOOS – Amen Brother/ Tears Cried (feat. Kylie Auldist) – 2008 – Single review

Rating:

The onset of winter is depressing as shit isn’t it? Long nights, bitter mornings, ice on your toilet seat…what you need is an upbeat, uptempo slice of summery organ-based funk. Amen Brother is precisely what you’ll cry, then, when you hear the A side of this new Bamboos bomb – a cover of The Winston’s classic. Nobody likes someone who’s too happy though! Christ what a pain in the ass! Thus the Bamboos throw in the (frankly even better) northern-soul tinged funky heartbreak of B-side Tears Cried featuring the peerless vocals of Kylie Auldist. Or you could just buy LP Side Stepper on which these two cuts appear.
(Released 8 December on Tru Thoughts. Or 1 December. Depending on which page you read)

Listen to The Bamboos – Amen Brother/ Tears Cried

The Bamboos – Myspace

Kylie Auldist – Myspace

Tru Thoughts

Posted on 5th November 2008 no comments

BUZZ CHART – NOV. ’08

Posted on 1st November 2008 no comments

THE BAMBOOS – Side Stepper – 2008 – Album review

Rating:

I dunno whether the fact that they’re based in Melbourne means that The Bamboos are the world’s southernmost funk band but they definitely head north on a couple of tracks on their third studio LP Side Stepper. And when I say ‘north’ I mean in the general direction of the Wigan Casino circa 1973. Yes, that’s right folks – the deep funkers have gone for a northern soul direction on instrumental opener Nightsport and the Kylie Auldist-featuring Now That You Are Mine. As a consequence, anyone stoked by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s cover of Valerie should probably stop reading now and go and make a purchase as they’ll definitely be feeling these. Lest the fear set in for the rest of you, let me assure you that the rest of the album is funkier than a mosquito with James Brown’s unwashed pants covering its tweeter. Second track Now That You Are Mine is another of three tracks featuring the gorgeous vocals of long time Bamboos cohort – Melbourne soul sister Kylie Auldist and is a soaring slice of funky soul. Auldist also appears on the seventies soul pastiche Make It Real while the band hook up with another female vocalist – the angel–voiced Megan Washington on recent storming single (and Kings of Leon cover) King Of The Rodeo. This is one of the highlights of the LP – as is that single’s flipside – Can’t Help Myself, a dope slice of super-tight uptempo funk, punctuated by organ stabs and London rapper Ty’s party-starting lyrics – along the same lines but altogether more successful than the last LP’s collaborations with Ohmega Watts. The final vocal team-up comes with the falsetto Curtis Mayfield-style approach of Paul MacInnes and definitely brings white safari suits and seventies cocktail bars to mind. The remaining four tracks see the band absolutely killing it with the funky instrumentals for which they are renowned and are a showcase for the talents of drummer Danny Farrugia – a man who must have forearms like Popeye. You might have expected third time around that they would be running short of ideas for instrumentals but you can put that thought to bed when you first hear Funky Buttercup whose northern soul intro misleadingly gives way to ska, then back to a bar or so of northern soul before the funk kicks in. And that’s more than appropriate really – because, after all, the funk ‘kicking in’ is what it’s all about isn’t it? If your answer’s in the negative – you’re on the wrong site.
Out now on Tru Thoughts
Buy Side-Stepper @ Amazon.co.uk