Everybody's got one - now you can get one too!

Everybody knows that the Streetlamp had a little bit of an infatuation with London's bentcousin last year, with the 2012 Streetlamp festive Thirty featuring no less than two of the band's songs.
If you've not had a chance to catch up with them yet, this week is the ideal opportunity as they release their 6-track EP, Everybody's Got One on Team Love records this Tuesday, February 19th.

As regards the music on the EP, the band range from a sweet, quasi-folk style to punk/glam rock stompers, so they can be quite hard to pin down (oooh, steady!).

Anyway, here's a quick round up of what to expect:

Track 1, bentpaperboy, is one of the folky ones with Amelia's soft vocals sparsely accompanied by a nicely-picked Paul Simonesque guitar. This has a clever lyric that is chock-full of English cultural references, which gives it a homely charm. I really liked this, as it is the closest in style on the EP to last year's I Think I Like Your Girlfriend More Than You, which I was particularly taken with.

Track 2, Slade, sees Pat take over vocal duties. This is one of the rockers on the album and although it has British musical antecedents, imagine the Jesus and Mary Chain playing glam rock (if you're imagining The Damned then that's about right), Pat's Richard Butler-like vocals stray a little too much into mid-Atlantic waters for my taste.

Track 3, I Quit You, is my least favourite track on the EP. Its meaty guitar riff keeps reminding me of Transvision Vamp, which is something I don't like to be reminded of. Sorry, guys.

Track 4, F.O.R.G.E.T., is my favourite new track from this lot. This has a funky/indie feel that evokes São Paulo's CSS, or for people of a certain age, is very reminiscent of Orange Juice. In particular, Pat's vocal, like a young Sarf Lahndan Edwin Collins is spot on.

Track 5, Glittery Joe, Is another punk/glam rocker this time filtered through a Britpop influence. Think Blondie meets Elastica with a hint of Suede.

The EP ends with Track 6, I Think I Like Your Girlfriend More Than You, with which you should all be familiar. This is the band's calling card and it really is a wonderful track with Amelia's vocals set off by a great folk/jazz guitar accompaniment. It is available as a free download from the Team Love site.


This new EP sees bentcousin retain those aspects that we love, the playful, witty overtones and the mischievous, sleazy sexiness and it takes those and mixes them up with folk, punk, Britpop and glam to fun, but variable, effect. Where this band really hit the mark for me though is when they hit their funky, indie Orange Juice evoking stride on F.O.R.G.E.T. This sound is hinted at elsewhere on here and its this, I think, this genre-hopping band do best.


Griff
xx

Griff says; Get Bent!

I had a nice wee surprise last night when I returned from the illuminating and opinion-shifting evening that was Glasgow International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers. I had logged on to Facebook when I saw that the impish and mischievous musical sprites that are Brighton's Bentcousin, featured previously on the Streetlamp 'here', had a new song up on their soundcloud page. And,what's more, against all expectations, it is a 'message' song with a serious, political, with a small p, satement to make.

Sunglasses in Winter, for that is the name of Bentcousin's new song, deals with the issue of violence against women and it does so brilliantly, But don't take my word for it, have a listen:


Isn't that just fantastic? It reminds me, in its sound and lyrical content, of some of the best of the post-punk bands of the early 80s. High praise, indeed, from me. The song is available as a free download too, so no excuses for not adding it to your MP3 player right now. The band can also be visited on facebook for details of upcoming releases, gigs etc.

Rather fortuitously, the nature of the lyric of Sunglasses in Winter also allows me to mention once more the White Ribbon Scotland campaign. I would be grateful if any Scottish boys or men reading this would consider visiting their website in order to show their support and to make their personal pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

Thank you,

Griff

Griff says; Bentcousin - it's a family affair!

Well, here's a little surprise for you - a 'Griff says' piece on a Sunday night. I hope that those of you who were eagerly awaiting Gordon's latest ramblings aren't too disappointed, I'm sure he'll have one up soon. In the meantime, it seems I'm the only Streetlamper physically able to post tonight, so you'll just have to accept it. Those of you who read the blog regularly will have realised that our cycling obsessive, Ray, has probably exploded into a thousand little pieces of fairy dust today due to his excitement at the various UK riders' success at le Tour this year. Gordon, meantime, has been badly delayed by an excess of cheap wine and subtitles due to this weekend's bad weather causing us all to stay indoors and accidentally inaugurate the first Streetlamp International Film Festival - a virtual 24 hours of foreign language film watching and lounging around at my house - more of which later, no doubt.
Anyway, I've got something you're all going to like a lot in the form of Brighton's Bentcousin. I don't know a lot about them to be honest, and I suspect that some of the stuff that's posted about them on the net is deliberate misinformation, as they come across as the sort of playfully mischievous types who like to mess around with journos and bloggers. Quite right too, all of the best punk bands did that very thing, as I remember. And that punk reference is a little indication of what to expect from them musically - a melange of tweeish indie-pop with a slice of punky attitude to stop it becoming too cutesy.

So, the band appear to have been formed by 'twins' Pat and Amelia who seem to be backed by three(?) other musicians, one of whom is apparently their uncle. Is that true? I don't know and, frankly, I don't think it really matters - we're all here for the music and Bentcousin certainly deliver on that front. I came across Bentcousin on Idle Fret's free download EP for July and I instantly loved their contribution, the track I Think I Like You Girlfriend More Than You, a song which bears more than a passing resemblance to the sound of Trixie's Big Red Motorbike, a band I have lionised on these pages previously 'here'.
I've embedded I Think I Like You Girlfriend More Than You below for your listening pleasure. Note too that it is available as a free digital download, you lucky people!



Checking out their soundcloud page, I discovered that they had more tricks up their sleeve than jazz-tinged twee-pop and that they can scuzz it up with the best of them. Witness, for instance. I Wanna Be Your Slave, which is not the Iggyesque paean to BDSM that the title may suggest but is, instead, a clever assault on the mindset that allows the ritual humiliation of the uncomprehending participants of current TV 'talent' shows. Have a listen:

I Wanna Be Your Slave by bentcousin

Please visit Bentcousin's soundcloud page to hear what else they are up to. In particular, check out the song Felicity, which is surely the 'bent cousin' of Primal Scream's Velocity Girl. The band are also on facebook, where I'm sure you'll find details of upcoming gigs. The band also have a witty and amusing wordpress site 'here' if you are intent on full-on internet stalking.

Enjoy.

Griff
xx