Three Minute Tease - Three Minute Tease

by Andy Cassidy

published: 2 / 4 / 2012

Label: Idiot Records
Format: CD

Riotous psychedelic pop on debut album from Three Minute Tease, the new band of Californian cult singer-songwriter, Anton Barbeau

Review

Three Minute Tease is to cult musicians what Crosby Stills Nash and Young were to the late 60's Topanga Canyon scene. The band is a collaboration between perennial cult favourite Anton Barbeau, Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor and, I’m pleased to say, they live up to the hype. Recorded “in the wilds of Cambridgeshire,” this is the trio’s first album together, and it’s a riot of psychedelic pop. Opening track Love is 'Onion' is a bouncy, rocky number with great guitar work from Nick Saloman and a neat vocal from Barbeau. 'Milko II' has a real George Harrison vibe, with Barbeau’s vocal imitating Harrison’s laconic vocal style, just hanging on the back of the beat. It’s a quieter number than its predecessor, and the pared down production highlights the terrific rhythm section. Things get a little more lively on 'Thanks for Lifting My Leg' which sounds like Kula Shaker playing the Monkees. For me, the best song on the album is 'Dust Beneath my Wings', with the lyric “Love, it’s the reason that we’re here” perfectly illustrating Barbeau’s post-hippy sensibilities. Another highlight is 'These Alien Angels', an atmospheric piece with swirling background textures and a dreamy lyric and trippy vocal. 'Sensual Pleasure of Pie' has a vaguely Eastern feel to it, while 'Up On the Moon' is a great slice of power pop splendour. The album closes with the lively 'Queen of Apples', a song that could be lifted straight from the Pugwash songbook (there is a surprise bonus track or two, but I’ll let you discover them for yourself!). This is a great debut from what promises to be a fantastic collaboration. It seems there is no limit to Barbeau’s creativity, and in Metcalfe and Windsor he has found two willing partners in pop. There are flashes of Andy Partridge, Syd Barrett and Duncan Maitland throughout this album – put simply, it’s grown-up pop music at its best. The genre may not be to everyone’s taste, but I personally enjoyed it a great deal.

Track Listing:-

1 Love Is Onion
2 Milko II
3 Thanks For Lifting My Leg
4 Dust Beneath My Wings
5 My Potato
6 These Alien Angels
7 Sensual Pleasure Of Pie
8 Dig My Bones
9 Up On The Moon
10 Queen Of Apples