Decibel Boy - Una Durate Di Due Lati

  by John Clarkson

published: 18 / 11 / 2004

---

It soon becomes apparent, on the evidence of his debut album 'Una Durate Di Due Lati', that deciBel boy, the musical moniker that Pennyblackmusic writer Philip Vincent works under, believes in keeping his audience alert and expectant. The self-described "musical ninja" has created a rich kaleidoscope of sounds with 'Una Durate Di Due Lati'. While the majority of its 11 songs feature him accompanying himself on guitar with odd smatterings of synthesiser, they find him skipping across genres effortlessly and transcending the blues, folk, pop and country seemingly at whim. 'Una Durate Di Due Lati' is a well-conceived collection of musical nuggets and little bombshells. The opening track 'Ladyfriend Stomp Blues' is a catchy cod country paean to a lost love, which has Vincent strumming his guitar hard against the backdrop of a crackly drum machine and scatty, warbling keyboards. 'False Freedom', the second track, changes direction and is a rollicking, punchy Levellers-style electric folk protest song that concludes in a great rush of discordance. While the third and fourth songs are both acoustic ballads, the former a melancholic tribute to the briefest of encounters, the latter a chirpy number about starting over, the fifth track, 'Dance Bitch Dance' finds Vincent dramatically switching gears again. A dance punk number, it merges jerking stabs of electric guitar and grinding chimes of synthesiser with a dumbed-down lyric which blames coca cola for most of the world's problems. That is just the breathless first half of this CD. Another latter highlight is the spooky 'On and Off' which combines bubbles of radio static and squiggles of synthesiser before a minute and half into its running time little pecks of guitar open up a despairing lyric in which Vincent tries to find cold comfort where there is none after a traumatic break-up. The last track, 'Message to the Listening' , meanwhile is a surging, balletic space rock instrumental with slowly rollercoasting synths and which closes the album in a sudden barrage of white noise. Vincent has a day job as a a sound engineer, and this had undoubtedly stood him in good stead with this album which was entirely recorded at home. One gets the impression from 'Una Durati Di Due Lati' that he is getting a lot of good-natured enjoyment out of toying with his audience, and leaving them guessing what he is going to surprise with them next. 'Una Durate Di Due Lati' is a lot of fun, but heaving with musical thoughts and ideas it also has lasting appeal and impact.

Track Listing:-

1 Ladyfriend Stomp Blues
2 False Freedom
3 Girl With Those Eyes
4 You
5 Dance Bitch Dance
6 Here's a Song
7 Never Felt Better
8 On or Off
9 Forget the Boy
10 Three
11 Message to the Listening

Post A Comment

---

Comment

Name

your name

Location

ie London, UK

Submit

Check box to submit

Adam Coxon
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson

Dixie Ernill
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart

Malcolm Carter
Marie Hazelwood
Mark Rowland
Nick Dent-Robinson
Nicky Crewe
Nige Nudds
Philamonjaro
Richard Lewis
Shirley Procter
Spencer Robertshaw
Steev Burgess
Steve Kinrade

Steve Miles
Tommy Gunnarsson
Zena Grieg