Need New Body - Where's Black Ben ?

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 21 / 12 / 2005

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Once again in their grand celebratory mood, the Philadelphia avant-garde fanfare led by Need New Body come out of one of America's oldest metropoles. As if they pursue cardio training with a schedule of clubbing and parading, Need New Body light-heartedly go on about serious matters in a jokey fashion. The zany sway this outfit holds over almost any style of music that can be reproduced leaves me baffled. Need New Body's very unlikely cocktail requires a bass riff as if New York's no wave no thrills funk never had disappeared. They owe more to Mofungo than they ever may realize while borrowing from interbellum European vaudeville. Need New Body's 'UFO' was my favourite album from year 2004. And tossing up quirky beats from a stew of art-rock, bebop, East Coast bar'aesthetics plus collected urban genres, Need New Body's style remains in fine form. Within a year, my bewilderment and surprise logically had vanished. A queer Philadelphia bunch Need New Body may prove to be, 'but Where's Black Ben' serves a purpose of re-arranging one's scale. 'Where's Black Ben?' screams out ole'time America and, with flirts of Gershwin, recollects Berlin's Brecht plus acknowledges latter decades' heroes. The cabaretesque hop-skip-and-jump in between styles from their first two albums made way for this apt melting of riff-driven jazz with punky art-rock flavours. Doctor Streamliner went through Need New Body again and he built a nice new clone. By all means, nothing of the vigour has gone, yet this album holds less of a sense of adventure. You need to reach track number ten - no I can't for definite tell the title - to get a grip. In the meantime though, Need New Body found a warm welcome in glorious tracks like (#12) which is encrypted as 'So St Rx'. Unaware as you probably are of further highlights from Need New Body, this is a band with some of the best scores on energy, originality and spirituality. Need New Body reappear unfatigueable!

Track Listing:-

1 Brite tha' Day
2 Magic Kingdom
3 Totally Pos Paas
4 Poppa B
5 Mouthbreaker
6 Who's This Dude? Tec no Eyes Do U Want To Party?
7 Tuthmosis
8 Outerspace
9 Inner Gift
10 Badoosh + Seagull War = Die
11 Peruividia
12 So St Rx
13 Abstract Dancers / Pearl Crusher
14 Pax-n-alf
15 Juvie Girls / Ghost of Bistro / Hairfunny
16 Eskimo

Label Links:-

http://www.pickled-egg.co.uk/

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