When we were sent The Big Pink’s debut album to review, I had never heard of them so I was excited to discover someone I didn’t know anything about. It was obvious to me that the band name was a reference to the classic album Music From Big Pink by The Band, a record that brought us “The Weight” and “I Shall Be Released.” So I was expecting a band with heavy Bob Dylan & the Band influences. Boy, was I wrong.
Instead, what The Big Pink plays is exactly the same kind of stuff that college radio was playing in the early-to-mid ’90s. The first band it reminded me of was Stone Roses, and by the third or fourth listen I was feeling like maybe Kula Shaker was a better reference point. Take those two bands, and I think you’ll get the idea.
Writing album reviews is not that easy. Sometimes you just want to say “I really like this,” and be done with it. This is one of those times, but I feel like owe my readers more than this, so I’ll tell you about the highlights.
Crystal Visions: The opening song starts slowly, so for the first minute or so, I thought I could have that 60s folk throwback I was expecting. But by two minutes in, I realize I’m listening to a band in love with early Brit pop, and I knew I was going to be a lot happier listening to this album than if I had been right all along.
Dominos: No, not the pizza chain, but the single. In a different time, this song would be on every station on the radio every two hours, and you’d be sick of it in a few months time. Instead, you can just play it over and over again by yourself, and I dare you to become sick of it. I get a cool thrill every time through the album when I get to this song.
Frisk: This one has a ton of different sounds to it: an almost-chanted lead vocal, a repeated falsetto melody over the top, and all sorts of synths from another world. They all work together to make another sugary pop confection.
All in all, this is an entertaining throwback to a better era of British music. It sounds like a great band you forgot, but unlike some of the bands from that era, you can actually go see them, and I imagine it will be a good time.
i disagree. This is making a mockery of British music.