(LONG BRANCH RECORDS/SPV MUSIC GROUP;2014)
Birth of Joy is a Dutch trio that takes all of the best parts of ’60s garage and psychedlic, ’70s metal and progessive, all slathered with liberal doses of funk and the blues. The new record, PRISONER, introduces touches of punk, experimental percussion and Ska. So, how does such a melting pot of musical styles sound? Uh… AWESOME! Here’s the breakdown…
“The Sound,” on first listen, is a heavy, organ-driven blast of Purplish rockin’ blues; give another listen and Gertjan Gutman’s organ parts may be a bit closer to Larry Tamblyn and the Standells than to Jon Lord and Deep Purple. With one of those riffs that gets stuck to the roof of your mouth, “How It Goes” features punky drums, more garagey Farfisa and Ska-tinged guitar work from Kevin Stunnenberg, kinda like a mash-up of Madness and the Ramones on something from an early Iron Butterfly record. “Keep Your Eyes Shut” is a funky, fun groove with a percolating bass (played, like Ray Manzarek of the Doors, by Gutman) and an organ part to match. Stunnenberg’s world-weary and ominous vocals really stand out on the track, almost as a counter-balance to the music. A slight stylistic shift defines “Three Day Road.” It’s kind of a slow burn blues thing with some cool slide work. The eerie psych feel comes from the echo and the reverb on both guitar and organ. The final two-and-a-half minutes features quite a lot of Floydian tomfoolery that really shouldn’t work, but does. I can very easily imagine this tune being a highlight in a live context.
The group is starting to get more adventurous on “Grow.” There’s a definite prog rock lean in the sound with an inexplicably memorable descending groove, seemingly a direct dichotomy to the song’s title. There’s more trashy garage punk on “Rock and Roll Show,” with some amazing guitar work throughout. The number has some serious 1960s swing over a nasty sorta Stranglers rhythm bubbling underneath. “Longtime Boogie” kicks off with some acid-tinged Hendrix-like guitar. The track is highlighted by a distinct Deep Purple rhythmic vibe (mostly due to the playing of drummer Bob Hogenelst), a funky organ solo (think of a heavier Booker T Jones) and a stinging guitar, especially on the solos. Even though the vocals are quite strong on the album, lyrics are not the band’s strong suit, as evinced here: “Can ya handle my love tonight,” in reference to the title, leaves very little to the imagination. “Mad Men” has a great Southern soul vibe, with a majestic, churchy organ from Gutman and psychedelic guitar from Stunnenberg. It’s the Standells meets Stax Records meets Uriah Heep meets Iron Butterfly, all in one killer three minute blast.
“Holding On” is the dreamy, trippy, trance-inducing piece. It’s a nice change of pace, with soothing, repetitive vocals and rolling drums from Hogenelst. The title cut, “Prisoner,” is a clangorous, metal-as-percussion chain gang kinda thing. There are sporadic, brutal blasts of organ and guitar in the 2:30 that the tune lasts, alongside some slightly haunting vocals. I like it… it reminds me of two of my favorite bands, Wisdom Tooth and Skeleton Key. “Clean Cut” features a swirling, Rick Wright organ sound, powerhouse drumming and an odd Spaghetti Western feel from the guitar. There’s also a pretty neat vocal melody line… the words don’t matter, the melody is top notch. The song is the heaviest of the heavy and a fantastic capper to a blistering rock and roll record.