Breaks

Vanish! - 6th Sense

Track Information:
A couple of years a go a mate at work lent me Lemonjelly’s “3 EP’s” CD. I played it in the car & whilst driving chuckled at the quirky spoken samples, nodded my head to the beats & basked in the infectious melodies. In return I introduced him to Mr Scruff & Aim’s Cold Water Music. This musical dialogue has enlivened my dull days at the office no end. We both like good quality chill out, preferably with a slightly oddball edge. Earlier this year my mate threw down the gauntlet with Nouvelle Vague’s album, and I have yet to find a worthy response……….until now. Vanish is Bombay Monkey’s debut EP. One reviewer commented that this duo manages to say more in a few minutes than most bands in an album. The production values are tight as they manage to pack 8 tracks into 20 minutes, with no track longer than 3 minutes. The tracks flow into each other and the EP works nicely as a whole, rather than just a collection of tracks. Bombay Monkey embrace the cut & paste hip hop ethic and the tracks have been cleverly assembled from samples sourced from charity shop records. Lush strings, chiming acoustic guitars, and warm piano tinkles, are layered with wry spoken vocal samples and dubby space echoes, which creates an atmosphere which is both playful & moody; often at the same time. The beats are nice & chunky & keep your head nodding throughout the proceedings. Singer-songwriter Roscoe John contributes an acoustic song “Honeycomb”, with a full sung vocal which is an enjoyable interlude. There is an insane discussion about Big Ben at the start of the track “Camouflage”. “Empty World” is like that melancholy feeling you get when you stumble across an old black & white movie on the telly on a rainy afternoon. The EP ends on a tongue in cheek, upbeat, dubby workout with “Where’s your 6th sense”…..and so ends a 20 minute heavenly journey. If you loved the eccentric charm of early Lemonjelly & Mr Scruff, and the moods of Aim’s Cold Water Music, then this is a must. The good news is there is 2 more EP’s to come later this year. This has become a favourite with my wife & two year old daughter. I’m delighted to say my mate at work is ordering his copy. What are you waiting for? Check out their website.