GIN LADY
Transmorphing from their erstwhile guise of Black Bonzo, these Swedes had something of a rebirth in 2011 when they re-emerged as Gin Lady. Abandoning their prog-edged approach, their modus operandi took a fully retrogressive shift towards rock's age-old roots, when they unashamedly started exercising their musical muscle solely within the parameters of pastiched seventies motifs. Their 2012, eponymously titled, debut album was loaded with nostalgic sways... but with some well-written tunes that carried a respectful, quasi-authenticity for the era of music they opted to mimic. Their new album, 'Call the Nation', is a continuation of said aesthetic - further mimicry, yet well-composed, well-executed songs and with a warm, analogue sound attained through an evidently well-thought out production that is as much a part of Gin Lady's aesthetic as the actual music itself.
I recall commenting on these Swedes' debut in a similar way in so much as so authentic is their recreation of seventies rock sounds (although, as already noted, it can only ever be considered as fabricated, quasi-authenticity), this feels like an album straight out of a bygone decade. As such, it offers, if you let it, a kind of ephemeral escapism from the woes of the twenty first century to a more carefree era. And Magnus Kärnebro's vocals are, once again, a strong element of Gin Lady's tunes... while his voice isn't intrinsically strong, and lacks any kind of rock bombast or histrionics, his laid-back approach has a rather absorbing and calming affect.
Of course, the escapism and calming seventies charms that Gin Lady offer is only one way to regard 'Call the Nation'. Another would be that these rock retrophiles are so devoid of originality that the album becomes frustratingly banal. Personally, I sit somewhere between the two. 'Call the Nation' is too good to simply dismiss on grounds of retro pastiche; however, by its very nature, that's precisely what it is. To be honest, I can't confidently say that this is an album I'll be revisiting often, although, when I'm in the mood for a little escapism of this nature, 'Call the Nation' will easily satisfy that desire.
I recall commenting on these Swedes' debut in a similar way in so much as so authentic is their recreation of seventies rock sounds (although, as already noted, it can only ever be considered as fabricated, quasi-authenticity), this feels like an album straight out of a bygone decade. As such, it offers, if you let it, a kind of ephemeral escapism from the woes of the twenty first century to a more carefree era. And Magnus Kärnebro's vocals are, once again, a strong element of Gin Lady's tunes... while his voice isn't intrinsically strong, and lacks any kind of rock bombast or histrionics, his laid-back approach has a rather absorbing and calming affect.
Of course, the escapism and calming seventies charms that Gin Lady offer is only one way to regard 'Call the Nation'. Another would be that these rock retrophiles are so devoid of originality that the album becomes frustratingly banal. Personally, I sit somewhere between the two. 'Call the Nation' is too good to simply dismiss on grounds of retro pastiche; however, by its very nature, that's precisely what it is. To be honest, I can't confidently say that this is an album I'll be revisiting often, although, when I'm in the mood for a little escapism of this nature, 'Call the Nation' will easily satisfy that desire.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Bilocation Records
Album
CALL THE NATION
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
35:47
RELEASE DATE:
2016
TRACK LISTING
1) I Can't Change
2) Call the Nation
3) Mexico Avenue
4) Heavy Burden
5) Ain't No Use
6) Down Memory Lane
7) Country Landslide
8) I'm Coming Home
2) Call the Nation
3) Mexico Avenue
4) Heavy Burden
5) Ain't No Use
6) Down Memory Lane
7) Country Landslide
8) I'm Coming Home
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Sweden
"...a kind of ephemeral escapism from the woes of the twenty first century to a more carefree era."
