Independent Release
Review by Warren Mayocchi
“Giddy Giddy Carousel” represents the album “Romanesque” well, both in name and sound. Listening to the album is a wild ride, there is little chance to find the emotional content in the first few listens. I had to leave this review for a couple of weeks and come back to the album to give it justice. SoundWitch certainly know how to play, which allows them to be very creative with sounds and timing. There is a great energy in the music, however your ability to ride that energy will probably influence how well you enjoy all that is happening. Isolating songs enables me to better appreciate the tunes – listening to the entire album of seventeen songs can be disorienting.
I like it best when the band uses their heavy approach. One of my favourites is called “Suzy the Mouth”. Combined with the attitude laden, almost spoken, vocal approach the song is great fun. But it takes a more consistent approach than much of the album. Most of the songs turn up the pace to eleven, and then, as the chant in “So Sweet So Scratch Heroes” goes, they “don’t stop, don’t stop, …” Nothing wrong with that though, “Spider Spider” is another great song that blends too many different styles to list. There are a couple of moody, slower tracks on the album, “Blow” and “Romance of the Kill” which have a film noir feel. But they are surrounded by songs in which musical transitions sometimes seem arbitrary or too abrupt. “Marble Magia” follows on from “Blow”, it builds from a reflective beginning to a heavier emotional ending, which is at odds with a line from the chorus lyric – “Ding a ling a ling a ling…” Then comes the excellent “Something More”, continuing the heavier approach the band create a high pace urgent track in which they blend electronic elements well to create a tension filled atmosphere.
SoundWitch have created an album that contains musically diverse material. At times I am reminded of the B-52s, Gwen Stefani or Human League, at other times I think of Steve Vai or Yngwie Malmsteen in full flight. Though listening to the whole album is an extreme carousel ride, there is material on this industrial rock album to suit many tastes. Maybe the best way to close off this review is by quoting one of my notes taken while I listened to the album a couple of weeks ago – “asylum dance music”.
Rating – 81/100
Tracklist
- Peek-a-boo (ピー カー ブー)
- Tendre Poison (タンドル プアゾン)
- Affect a Smile (アフェクト ア スマイル)
- The Ritual (ザ リチュアル)
- Spider Spider (スパイダー スパイダー)
- November’s Despair (ノーベンバーズ ディスペア)
- Blow (ブロウ)
- Marble Magia (マーブル マゲイア)
- Something More (サムシング モア)
- Giddy Giddy Carousel (ギディ ギディ カルーセル)
- Devil (デヴィル)
- Suzy The Mouth (スージー ザ マウス)
- Candy (キャンディ)
- So Sweet So Scratch Heroes (ソー スィート ソー スクラッチ ヒーローズ)
- Romance of the Kill (ロマンス オブ ザ キル)
Line Up
- TWIN – Vocal
- Dragon – Guitar, Programming
- Matsubai – Bass
- Maiden – Machine, Guitar, Programming
- Shark – Drums
- Sack – Drum, Programming
Links
