THE EXPERIMENTAL POP BAND
HOMESICK
ALBUM RELEASE: JULY 6, 1999 REVIEW: JUNE 29, 1999
Coming from Bristol you'd perhaps expect The Experimental Pop Band to be
another moody trip hop band. But that is definitely not the case. Instead
their second album "Homesick" contains a wide variety of musical styles,
all wrapped in a singer-songwriter tradition.
The result is a kind of melodic, but also groove-driven, pop that is hard
to label. Sometimes quite sympathetic but not seldom on the verge of
entering brit pop anonymity. Several highlights are however included. Like
the brilliant Primal Scream-influenced funk-rock on "Give a Little Love"
and the cool single-track "Punk Rock Classic". You also find traces of
Happy Mondays and Mono.
But the voice of mastermind Davy Woodward is unfortunately a problem. The
Experimental Pop Band would certainly gain a lot if Woodward occasionally
would pass the mic to someone else. If they at the same time hired another
producer for their next album the result could be surprisingly good.
ERIK ALMGREN