published: 14 /
8 /
2013
Label:
Body Rampant
Format: CD
Exhilarating debut album and concept record from ballsy Californian rockers, the Body Rampant
Review
If ever a band were born for SXSW, it is the Body Rampant.
'Midnight Mayfair' is the debut album from the Southern California quintet, and it’s a ballsy rocker. It’s a concept album, telling the story of a character whose heart stops beating in the first track, and whose subsequent “death” takes him to the nightmarish town of Mayfair where he faces a grotesque and twisted version of his past, each song representing a particular episode in his life. As concepts go, it’s a good one, and works well as a narrative.
The songs are loud and rocky. Opening track 'Dirtnap' is pure 1990s Seattle, growling guitars and grungy riffs leading the way into a verse of subtlety and suggestion before BANG! in comes the refrain. In its structure, it is reminiscent of Nirvana’s 'Lithium', and the band’s musicianship is flawless.
J.M. Lopez’s vocals are superb throughout, but nowhere more so than on second track, the frenetic 'Nightfall'. Combining speed-rock, punk and alt-rock, the track thunders along, always menacing but never submerging Lopez’s powerful voice.
If I had one criticism of the album, it is that there is no hiding place from the sheer energy of the music. I always felt that albums like 'Nevermind 'or Missionn of Burma's 'Vs' worked so well by virtue of the contrast provided between the quieter tracks (take 'Polly' or 'Daughter', for instance) and the more full-on rockers, but I concede that that is merely my personal taste.
This album, for me, was an exhausting experience with no respite. That is not to say, however, that I did not enjoy it. Musically, the band are tight and angry, with a great rhythm section and a fantastic guitar sound. The story of the album works well, and the lyrics achieve that rare balance between personal and universal. 'Midnight Mayfair' is a real thunderstorm of an album, exhilarating, exciting, bold and not easily ignored.
Track Listing:-
1
Dirtnap
2
Nightfall
3
Windowseal
4
Storm Bandage
5
Through Your Head
6
Underachiever
7
Apparitia
8
Ghostown
9
Woodland
10
Icarus
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/thebodyrampan
http://www.thebodyrampant.com/
https://twitter.com/thebodyrampant
http://www.thebodyrampant.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBodyRa