I’m not really sure why I am writing this review.
Perhaps its just the nature of obsessing about nothing during Lockdown. Sometimes, in our ephemeral hobby of being ‘into’ music, a particular record just grabs you. In this instance Toodles and the Hectic Pity absolutely grabbed me.
The Bruce Lee Band is the occasional vehicle for stalwart Skanking Pickle all-round-nice-guy skapunk-legend Mike Park. Spanning a whole range of sounds and styles at a breathtaking pace, there’s a lot to like here. Not to mention some gorgeous keys and a pinch of trumpeting to really ice the cake.
Initiation Rites, immediately, the moment it opens with “No Conspiracy“, is very, very Slackers. I think this is mostly due to Tim’s vocals having a Vic-Ruggerio-like quality, although there’s definitely a little bit more punch to the underbelly in the rest of the band’s attack.
“The Ballad of Jenny Horne” makes me think of a world where Murder By Death carried on with their misery-laced thematic-story telling but also listened to far too much World Inferno Friendship Society. The EP ebbs and flows, with some very catchy musicality. All whilst still telling a story? Fantastic.
I was randomly browsing through Bandcamp the other day, and, reading about the new King Prawn album, I noticed a new double A side 7 inch had come out! So I gave it a punt. Looking at it now, it came out in 2013, so I got my wires totally crossed.
