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Members:
Trevor Tanner
Formed: 1983
iSound Site: www.isound.com/bolshoi
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"The Bolshoi's strength lies not only in the clever use of knobs and strings and keys and thigs, the juxtaposition of profanity and purity, innocence and lies, but also in the dank, darkly secret passages of their will." -- Melody Maker
And so it seems that for the |
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| Lindy's Party
by The Bolshoi
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Label: Beg
2007-09-04
Media: Audio CD
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Tracklisting:
1. Auntie Jean
2. Please
3. Crack in Smile
4. Swings and Roundabouts
5. She Don't Know
6. T.V. Man
7. Can You Believe It?
8. Rainy Days
9. Barrowlands
10. Lindy's Party
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"The Bolshoi's strength lies not only in the clever use of knobs and strings and keys and thigs, the juxtaposition of profanity and purity, innocence and lies, but also in the dank, darkly secret passages of their will." -- Melody Maker
And so it seems that for the past two years, the Bolshoi has managed to consistently anf simultaneously delight and confound critics. This may be an unusual combination for such a young band, but it isn't when one considers that, among other things, The Bolshoi has a delightfully unpredictable stage presence, a multi-faceted sound, and a common moniker with some pretty famous Russian dancers.
But the fact remains that The Bolshoi has managed to sucessfully defy being categorized into any one musical genre. And their new album, LINDY'S PARTY on Beggars Banquet, is further indication that The Bolshoi will continue to confound those moved to classify its music.
LINDY'S PARTY is The Bolshoi's second album, a little shop of horrors, hypnotic remedies and happy-go-lucky incantations. From the album's first single, "Please," a yearning, pulsing ballad full of strings and rousing melodies to the darkly cynical "TV Man" (in which a man pays homage to "Dirty Harry" and the television gods), LINDY'S PARTY is hard to pin down. There's the almost sinister "Auntie Jean," the Kraftwerk-inspired rock and roll of "Can You Believe It" (which is violently -- and beautifully -- interrupted by a violin solo), and the mounting accusations and multi-layered sounds of the album's title track.
Credit for this musical grab bag goes to drummer Jan Kalicki, bassist Nick Chown, keyboardist Paul Clark, and in particular, lead singer and guitarist Revor Tanner. On vinyl, Trevor's deep voice is complemented by a tongue-in-cheek attitude and what (we imagine) is a glimmer in his eye. (One need only hear his series of evil "yee hee hee's" at the end of "Auntie Jean" to understand.)
On stage, Trevor is able to go one step further, and knowing that the band is tight enough to allow him the space to "play," he keeps his audience guessing. Take a recent gig, where Trevor introduced himself as "the most beautiful man in England and the world, the most talented guitarist in all of Christendom: Eric Clapton." in fact, Trevor and the band have a way of exhorting such a response from an audience that it led one Melody Maker writer to comment, "Before this man (Trevor) had a following, he must have incited riots."
"A lot of people say that because that's just their impression of us," Trevor said. "I think as a band we try to get the crowd involved." Teamwork is the key here, the reason The Bolshoi is able to experiment musically, or involve a crowd in one of their shows. "We believe in the musical structure of a band. People who spend a lot of time together and work together."
And if anyone spent a lot of time together, it was childhood "mates" Trevor and Jan. After performing with a variety of bands, the two met Nick, formed The Bolshoi, and began to "gig intensively" at London clubs. In 1985, The Bolshoi released two singles, "Sob Story" and "Happy Boy," and followed it up with a six-song EP entitled GIANTS. All three of their efforts fared very well with critics and spents quite a bit of time on the independent charts, and the album's first single, "A Way" hit #1 on CMJ'S charts, as well as bringing the band opening stints for Peter Murphy and Love & Rockets. FRIENDS also debuted to a wealth of positive reviews in which critics attempted to describe their music. A writer from the Gavin Report said, "The Bolshoi's music is embodied in a dark mood with a silver lining -- like an odd cross between the Sisters of Mercy and the Dream Academy (if you can imagine that)."
LINDY'S PARTY takes these descriptions one step further. Call it "The Continuing Saga of the Band Without a Category." And call it the result of The Bolshoi's musical philosophy: "you can create your own accessibility. That's what we're trying to do, and it will work. It just takes a long time. Because you get people saying you're 'neither one thing nor the other.' Well, that's because we're us."
Indeed.
Beggars Banquet 8/87
Source: http://www.shriekman.com/bolshoi/bios/RCA_08-1987.html |
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