Medicine Ball - Fresh Ape
by Andrew Carver
published: 24 / 5 / 2002

Label:
Rubric
Format: CD
intro
"Diverse, quality effort of mildly psychedelic rock" with touches of country and pop thrown in from long serving group from Rhode Island back with a fourth offering
Medicine Ball are a journeyman band from the tiny state of Rhode Island. They’ve been going for at least a decade and 'Fresh Ape' is their fourth album. The band’s two guitarists and bassist all write songs, and sing their own compositions. Medicine Ball hit their stride early with 'Jet Black', which features marching band drums, crunchy guitar with a great tremolo riff, relaxed lead vocals and great harmonies, somewhat reminiscent of the Byrds. None of the album’s other songs reach the high of that first track, but they’re all at least good. 'Not Love' has the same promising musical backing and great harmonies, and some nice keyboards to boot, but the lead vocals seem a little on the thin side. Other songs are coloured with pedal steel ('Sticky Sweet” and “”) — not enough to take the album into No Depression territory though. 'Fireworks', for example, starts off with atmospheric string bending and strumming acoustic guitar. The riffs on 'Hit' also have a countryish air, with electric keyboards at the end putting a different spin on things. There are also some psychedelic touches, such as the backward guitar on 'Breakfast Served All Day' — psychedelia of the late ’60s variety, that is, no full scale acid freakouts here. Thematically, a lot of the songs seem to dwell on love (and consequent failure of the same). Having three songwriters goes a long way to sparing the band easy comparisons with other acts; the wiggly keyboards on 'Turning 31' offers a prime demonstration of the group’s departure from the alt-rock norm. The band seems to operate on a ’60s template, but updates the sound with some ’70s guitar crunch, ’80s keyboards and ’90s alt-country flare. Clear production and strong songwriting make for a diverse, quality effort of mildly psychedelic rock — and a wee touch of country and pop — which holds up very well to repeat listening.
Track Listing:-
1 Jet Black2 Not Love
3 Turning 31
4 Fireworks
5 Sicky Sweet
6 Everything and Nothing
7 Hit
8 Web of Evidence
9 Balloonheads
10 Breakfast Served All Day
most viewed articles
current edition
Carl Ewens - David Bowie 1964 to 1982 On Track: Every Album, Every SongArmory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Colin Blunstone - Thalia Hall, Chicago, 16/7/2025
Bathers - Photoscapes 1
Visor Fest - Valencia, Spain, 26/9/2025...27/9/2025
John McKay - Interview
Billie Eilish - O2 Arena, London, 10/7/2025
Robert Forster - Interview
Loft - Interview
Sir Tim Rice - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Phew, Erika Kobayashi,, Dieter Moebius - Radium GirlsAmy Macdonald - Is This What You've Been Waiting For?
Sick Man of Europe - The Sick Man of Europe
Davey Woodward - Mumbo in the Jumbo
Cynthia Erivo - I Forgive You
Lucy Spraggan - Other Sides of the Moon
Bush - I Beat Loneliness
Alice Cooper - The Revenge of Alice Cooper
Blueboy - 2
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart