CHASIN' RAINBOWS - Baby Woodrose (Bad Afro)
Baby Woodrose, with the release of Chasing Rainbows, continue to amaze the listener with well-crafted psych. "Chasing Rainbows" is very much a modern album ieven n that it displays classic 60's songwriting influences such as Love, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Doors and Group 1850. However upon closer inspection, Baby Woodrose is expanding upon the repertoire / format of the genre, through the unique qualities of their sound. The band possesses that "otherworldly" quality of time and space that all great psych groups inhabit.
"Someone to Love" starts the CD with a distorted guitar - organ introduction. A riff is developed and the rhythm section follows suit. The song follows a classic pattern of verse - chorus - verse. "Someone to Love" combined with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", the second song, both have memorable choruses that leave an imprint on you along with those bouncy organ riffs, fuzzed out riffs and catchy vocals.
For the third song, "Let Yourself Go", the band - Lorenzo Woodrose (guitars, organs and vocals), Fuzz Daddy (drums and percussion) and The Moody Guru (bass and tempura) - get down with a heavier workout. The band really shines on this song: farfisa riffs, wah wah guitar leads and echoed vocals. A similar approach is taken later in the album with the title track "Chasing Rainbows". A real deep bass riff pulls the song together, leaving the guitar to spew distorted riffs and the drums to accent the proceedings. One aspect of both songs is the passionate vocal styling of Lorenzo Woodrose. Vocally, he has a voice that is emotionally charged and soulful.
One of the other great qualities of Chasing Rainbows is the softer moments throughout the album. A memorable presence is felt in several songs. "Lillith" has an unbeatable combination of folk inspired guitar accompanied by haunting pedal steel playing. "In Your Life" is sheer pop bliss. Raga percussion, sitar, bells and acoustic guitar create a backdrop for Lorenzo's sweet vocals. The drums are then introduced two thirds into the song along with distorted guitar.
"No More Darkness" is a tale of heartbreak filled with punk attitude. The background vocals are especially noteworthy. "No More Darkness" then segues into the soaring heights of "Dark Twin". The band's unique songwriting abilities, and ability to break away from convention, become evident on this track. The song "Dark Twin" feels almost like a song from the Middle Ages. Filled with a repetitive bass line, acoustic guitars, bells, organ and a drum march, the song is somber but yet beautiful in it's orchestration.
Baby Woodrose's fourth release is d a memorable CD that will warrant repeated listening over the years to come. "Chasing Rainbows" is an album that is filled with so much in terms of quality and effort placed on the songs ability to transcend the listener.
For me, it's one of 2007's best releases. - Arthur S.
DROPOUT!
– Baby Woodrose (Bad Afro)
Have
to admit being a bit of a Baby Woodrose fan, and while an album full of mostly
obscure ‘60s gems might seeml like filler calculated to keep the name
in front of the fans, it goes down just fine in this quarter.
Bad Afro might just be the world’s most underrated label. Most
of the bands thereon nod reverently in the direction of the ‘60s garage
genre, but usually there’s enough independence to kick things clear
of parody. Bad Afro music is usually well-produced (i.e. sounds like analogue)
and the label honchos have an ear for stuff that not only rocks, but swings.
Baby Woodrose certainly qualify on the above counts. These Swedes walk the
line between psych and grotty garage rock, and while they might lack the sheer
majesty of a band like The Soundtrack of Our Lives, they’re deserving
of far wider attention.
These tunes stem from recordings for “Money For Soul” and demo
sessions that followed, and if you think The Sonics have little in common
with Captain Beefheart except they played musical instruments and are spoke
of in hushed tones, you’re probably correct.
You could take a poll but I’d contend that only three of the 10 cuts
on “Dropout!” - Love’s “Can’t Explain”,
the Stooges’ “Not Right” and the Saints’ “This
Perfect Day” - can be construed as being widely-known. Of course, bona
fide ‘60s garage nuts will know the rest, but even the 13th Floor Elevators
cover (“I Don’t Ever Wanna Come Down”) doesn’t spring
to mind as being immediately obvious. Hell, they could have gone down the
“You’re Gonna Miss Me” or “Levitation” routes,
if they wanted. OK, “Dropout Boogie” is fairly familiar to Beefheart
devotees, but how many are there in today’s listening audiences? (Probably
more than I guess, but drop someone else a line if you feel like arguing the
point).
“This Perfect Day” was a risk and doesn’t quite come off,
its chugga-chugga guitar not matching the relentless sheet metal drive of
the original, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. It’s
probably dubious that we need another Stooges cover song, but the wailing
“Not Right” is a respectable enough take, albeit played straight.
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band’s “A Child of a Few Hours”
sounds like a Sabbath cover.
If you’re ideologically opposed to covers albums you’ll probably
sidestep this completely, but it’s waaaaay better than “Acid Eaters”,
which was the undercooked Ramones foray into similar territory. –
The Barman
3/4
MONEY
FOR SOUL - Baby Woodrose (Bad Afro)
Fuck, I love the music from the bands on Bad Afro. The little label
from the equally little country of Denmark punches well above its weight (or
it appears that way on the other side of the world). It's into garage music
with lashings of real soul, music that's never overproduced but has the common
trait of engine rooms that really SWING and a willingness to augment their
sound with whatever works. A roster that includes the likes of the Flaming
Sideburns, the Burnouts, Royal Beat Conspiracy and the fab Sweatmaster is
guaranteed to kick your arse onto the nearest dance floor. Big labels trying
to jump on the garage bandwagon, take note. You don't know shit from clay...
Sermon over, and now I have to confess to knowing very little about Baby Woodrose
apart from the fact that they're Danes and have a line-up of two guitars and
drums. They have one album ("Blows Your Mind") under the belt and this is
their second. I first heard them on a Bad Afro sampler, "Pushing Scandinavian
Rock to the Man!" vol. 3, where their hot and heavy "Never Coming Back" was
one of the best tracks.
Until their debut album, Baby Woodrose was - literally - a one-man band, made
up of multi-instrumentalist Lorentzo Woodrose. He's since been joined by four-string
guitar player Riky Woodrose and drummer Rocco (who, coincidentally, also has
the surname Woodrose).
Common surnames is where any Ramones comparisons end. This is more down the
line of a dozen '60s punk groups, although tipping the soulful end of the
scale. Think a less raucous Sonics, a guitar-driven Music Machine or the Wailers.
Or a combination of all three.
Some fine songs here. "Pouring Water" is a scorching garage stomp, all Stems-like
as on their earliest Citadel singles, sans keyboards. "Carrie" is a
tough, but tender, mid-tempo freakbeat ballad, sprouting flowers in its hair.
Aside from the tremolo swagger of "Hippie Chick", it's one of the few slower
moments. It's raunch 'n' roll that sounds best turned up right loud.
"Money for Soul" is all about the music industry (but you guessed that, didn't
you?) "Rollercoaster" is more of the same tough guitar garage-soul, lightened
by "oohh-oohh-oohh" choruses, sirens and dropouts. By the time the overdriven,
psych crunch of the closer, "Volcano", swings into hearing distance, you should
be hooked. If not, check your taste at the door.
Things are getting mighty crowded in the garage these days (remember when
there were a handful of us there?) If you're going to be careful with your
heard-earned, you should seriously consider shelling some of it Baby Woodrose's
way. - The Barman
