|
***The Heavy's dirty, guitar-scorched hip hop soul will lead you into temptation. Hailing from a town in the English countryside called Bath, which they describe as "the graveyard of all ambition," The Heavy make everything wrong sound right. At the core are Swaby and Taylor, who have known each other for a decade. When they met, the two bonded over vintage rhythm and blues and the films of Jim Jarmusch. They soon recruited Ellul (drums) and Page (bass) and began gigging as a four-piece; most recently Hannah Collins joined to round out the sound. "Brukpocket's Lament" brings classic blues bang up-to-date and reeling on uppers. "Coleen" is a more stripped-down hip hop groove, with backing singers giving the tune a Stax-on-acid feel. "Set Me Free" throws acoustic guitar in the mix for a more laid-back (though still rhythmically driving) number. And, from the moment you hear "That Kind of Man," you know only exorcism can save you. With the gritty bottom end of classic Wu Tang smacking up against wall-of-sound guitar wailing and raw blues-soul, it's instantly recognizable and utterly addictive, Swaby's sweet-yet-threatening vocals raising it to another level. "Doing Fine" is the emotional centerpiece of the album, a down-home blues straight out of the country. "Our Special Place" is an almost BRMC Howl-era hand clapper with a fat injection of falsetto croon. The raging "Dignity" ain't going to stand no fuckin' with, got it? "Girl" gives Swaby a chance to show off his (slightly tongue-in-cheek) rapping style, over a rhythm which must be described as Kinks-meets-Marly Marl. "In The Morning" is frugging and filthy. The album finishes with "Who Needs The Sunshine?", which carries echoes of the Massive Attack and Tricky scene, but reconstituted as epic country blues. Be prepared to get down on the good foot when The Heavy howl their way into your soul this spring. "If you want your soul revival as funky as Amy Winehouse or Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings but with just a little more fuzz, this British five-piece has you covered." --Rolling Stone "You'd think it would be hard to reinvent blaxploitation-era soul, but The Heavy pull it off explosively well.... Just listen and try not to fantasize about Pam Grier fighting off her pimp with a broken bottle. 8/10." --NME "The Heavy sound like Curtis Mayfield's 'Pusherman' resurrecting Led Zeppelin and the exiled spirit of Cassius Clay. Get used to the weight, The Heavy are about to throw it down." --The Fly 30-second MP3 excerpts: Brukpocket's Lament
Coleen
Set Me Free
That Kind Of Man
Doing Fine
Dignity
Our Special Place
Girl
In The Morning
Who Needs The Sunshine? |
