Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster ‘The Royal Society’ (Island)

Nowadays there is so much bland, derivative, unchallenging music around that it is tempting to go overboard with praise for anything with a bit of originality about it. So I probably will with the new album from Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, ‘The Royal Society’.

The album starts of powerfully with ‘Rise of the Eagles’, which is heavy and malevolent as well as slightly off the wall. The song, with its Jerry Only-style distorted bass, incongruous intermittent handclaps and mantra-like lyrics, is somehow like a musical butane ‘trip’, bizarrely thrilling but unnerving (fortunately without the associated sickness, stigma, and severe risk of agonising death). ‘I Could Be an Angle’ sounds very much like it could be by the evil twins of Kings of Leon.

An air of menacing weirdness pervades the whole album, as the band (I’m not typing their whole bloody name again, thanks) hauls the listener into their Tim Burton-esque world using unexpected sound effects and unusual lyrics. It is heavy and foreboding throughout, but as if to prevent the gothic undercurrents becoming too tiresome, there are a couple of more lively numbers thrown in, namely ‘Migrate Migraine’ and ‘Mister Mental’. Along with the excellent opening two tracks, these compensate for the moments where it doesn’t quite work like ‘Drunk on the Blood’ and ‘Temple Music’ where the music is a little bit too Crème Brulee for my liking. The witty and unusual lyrics of twisted fairy tale ‘Puppy Dog Snails’ are now indelibly printed on my brain, but I don’t mind particularly because it is a pretty cool song.

‘The Royal Society’ is a little hit-and-miss, but the overall effect is pleasing. Although the band probably aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, in my opinion they certainly deserve respect for their original style, and there is certainly enough quality about the music to warrant a listen – despite their rather silly name

words: Harry Harris

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