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analysis w/e 14.5.11 |
DVDs out 9.5.11 |
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@ DVDfever Youtube |
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May 11 2011 
DVDfever co uk
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Off-the-wall folk-ish delights., Under various pseudonyms Stanley Brinks aka Andre Herman Dune (amongst countless others, Ben Dope, John Trawling, Lord Stanislas ) has been ploughing his ant-folk thing for several years, occupying a virtually singular space. Sonically and lyrically, he deliberately or not, gives a huge nod to American troubadour Jonathan Richman of Road Runner / Egyptian Reggae fame, also seen-heard in rom-com Something About Mary. Born in Paris of Swedish-Moroccan parents, with an early penchant for singing in Spanish and Italian, Berlin-based Brinks now recruits trio The Wave Pictures – David Tattersall on guitar and vocals, drummer Jonny Helm and bassist Franic Rozycki – to back him up, a perfect musical move. Well known on the European circuit for wearing flashy Hawaiian shirts, it opens with a Richman-like ditty from afore mentioned film, Hi, Jane a happy-hippy love song. His warbling voice perfectly accompanies this delightful shuffle and is a solid introduction to the band. On Things Ain’t What…not to be confused with the Duke Ellington song, Brinks laments the state of the world and people in the 21st century, harking for times-gone-by – “…we’re talking about a whole world going wrong, you don’t discuss that over decaf – tea”, while he introduces a bluesier hue but still dragging along his folky leanings. There’s a sizzling guitar solo worth noting too.
Lifting the pace considerably, End Of The World is a love song bouncing to a nifty shuffle making it the catchiest song so far. According to Brinks, Keep Your Head Up is the happiest song he’s ever written, though in truth, there’s a strong melancholic streak to it. There’s a sublime guitar solo dropped in now and again which defines the song as a standout. For Blues About The Size…he takes inspiration from Count Basie, though there’s nothing jazzy going on. It’s a menacing ballad with bluesy solos set to a lazy hangdog backdrop. Neil Young was very much in mind when he wrote Americana-tinged 39 Winks. It’s a classy ballad that rolls steadily allowing all the band’s skills to be featured, especially guitarist David Tattersall. Neil Young’s influences are heard all over closer All The Love…a more nostalgic take of what’s said in Things Ain’t What They Used To Be, even down to the vocal, that only lasts for 90 seconds of the song. The verdict – A real ‘musos’ album.
Weblinks: stanleybrinks.com / myspace.com/therealstanleybrinks
The full list of tracks included are :
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier. PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
