Review Summary: As real as it gets.
Perhaps one of the greatest disappointments one can possibly have when experiencing recorded music is to find that the act in question finds difficulty in translating what they have spent so much time layering in the studio into the live context – sometimes even failing completely. You can rest assured, however, that you’ll have none of these problems with up-and-coming Australian power trio Bright Yellow. Even before you’ve actually seen them plug in an amp on stage, you’ll know plenty about their live capabilities. How so? Simple – their EP,
Clean, is five tracks cut live in the studio with no further overdubs or edits made.
For many bands, this is a recipe for disaster. You will be pleased to know, however, just how strong and subsequently satisfying the results of this risk are in regards to Bright Yellow. Unlike so many of the band’s contemporaries, who are more than content to let their music exist behind over-production and the usual smoke and mirrors, the music of Bright Yellow grabs its fortunate listener by the collar and throws it against the wall . Cry hyperbole all you will, but the first few listens of
Clean ranks as one of the year’s more exhilarating experiences in Australian releases. Finally, here is refreshing, energetic and intense rock music that truly sounds as real as it gets.
The five songs on offer portray a group of musicians that are tight, concise performers. Bright Yellow are impressively able to loosen the screws on their songs and structure just enough to prevent the song progressions themselves from sounding too forced – even occasionally allowing the jam itself to take over. The spiralling, often scathing soundscapes often recall Zeppelin-esque grooves and grungy guitar crunch to create a sound that initially may seem slightly derivative but gradually evolves into a distinctive collective sound. Easily the strongest example of this is the outstanding “Smashed on the Floor”, found appropriately as the centrepiece of the EP. Atop of Toby Ryan’s splashy, walloping rhythms and Jeff Theys’ crystal-clear funk-inthused bass patterns, frontman Chris Surgey’s distortion-soaked guitar shimmy brings the song’s chameleonic (and slightly schizophrenic) changes into seamless transitions. If the song’s excellent instrumentation was not enough, the song is strengthened tenfold by Surgey’s impassioned, on-the-verge-of-madness howls and soulful moans. All it takes is three and a half minutes for Bright Yellow to prove their worth. Everything else – at least momentarily - is just a bonus.
Still - what a bonus. The slow-burning title track switches up between dream-like sway to a kicking groove, as an invigorated Surgey howls “The sky!/The sky looks so clean!” in his idiosyncratic higher-range yelp. At the EP’s tail end, “Down Here for Hours” generates a hybrid of smooth melody and alt-rock grit – think Jeff Buckley fronting Dinosaur Jr. or Mudhoney.
The
Clean EP is, arguably, a complete revitalisation of music we’ve taken for granted in pubs and clubs across the country for years. It’s an opportunistic, energetic and, above all, authentic release from a band that deserve a far stronger following. We can only await with baited breath what shall happen to this magnificent trio next.
Hear four of the EP's five tracks at http://www.myspace.com/brightyellow
![http://www.cats-creations.co.uk/images/Aussieshirt_000.jpg[/IMG]](http://www.cats-creations.co.uk/images/Aussieshirt_000.jpg[/IMG]){kind=link}