Review Summary: Honest, straightforward take on grunge, that at the same time goes for social consciousness in the lyrics.
Back in the 90’s many were trying to decipher what Grunge was based on. It seems that everybody was concentrating on loud guitars, and forgetting everything else, from The Beatles through The Clash to Bruce Springsteen. While many would not question say The Beatles, some would ask, Springsteen?
Yes, him. And not only as a musical connection but his constantly developing social consciousness. But then, it seems that everybody from Mudhoney, to Nirvana and Pearl Jam brought into something from their own, and yet still that lyrics element was often pushed in the background.
But Australian rocker Ivan Beecroft seems not to have forgotten any of these. Witness his latest album, aptly titled 'The Cynical Express'. Here he brings back all the best musical, as well as lyrical elements grunge, had to offer. Musically, he had a wide choice to choose from, including quite a few artists from his homeland that had an influence on the genre - from AC/DC, through INXS to The Church. Lyrically, his personal background and experience gave him enough material to recall the social consciousness of Springsteen and The Clash.
After all, Beecroft started out as a steelworker and was often in situations when things went wrong like a workmate having his hand cut off by a faulty machine. Add to that when his one-time bass player was left comatose when he tried to defend a neighbor from a drug-fuelled attack, due to which Beecroft almost abandoned playing music completely.
All the musical influences and life experiences are reflected in 'The Cynical Express'. Musically, Beecroft and the band don’t miss a step, the playing throughout is tight, and maybe even better than on his previous outings like Dirty Lie, with Beecroft’s vocals in full form. Lyrically, like on the opener “Rattle Those Chains’” “The Deplorables,” “Diseased” or “Gloom” Beecroft is as dark as ever. But then, so are the current times, and Beecroft’s excellent grunge recollections fit them perfectly.
