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Even with support from TV on the Radio - drummer Jaleel Bunton plays guitar on Testimony - The Phenomenal Handclap Band's eponymous debut remains stolidly unimpressive for its entire duration (an hour, but it feels more like eight). From the ponderous opening instrumental The Journey to Serra Da Estrela, through to the cheesy electro funk of All of the Above and the horn-led sub-Al Green manoeuvres of Baby, this is an album that suggests its creators have great record collections, but crucially lack the ability to convert good taste in other people's music into decent compositions of their own.
Pre-release buzz around the album focused on the single 15 To 20, with its infectious playground-style vocal. Even the catchiness of this track, though, has an annoying element to it, with Lady Tigra's almost apologetically rapped verses carrying a ripe whiff of Len's 1999 hit Steal My Sunshine. The scuzzy organ and low-slung bassline of closing track The Circle is Broken begins to head somewhere purposeful, but is betrayed by a lacklustre vocal that robs it of its power.
Considering the amount of people roped in to help record this album - members of Calla, Moony Suzuki, Si Se, Amy Winehouse's backing band and the aforementioned TV on the Radio and vintage Miami bass duo L'Trimm - perhaps it's a case of too many cooks. If you were feeling maniacally generous it could be claimed that Dim The Lights settles into a passable glam rock groove and that the drumming throughout has a pleasing funky solidity to it, but even then you'd have to conclude that most of this album is dross. Listen to Rare Earth's Get Ready and Shuggie Otis's Inspiration Information and you'll hear much of what's attempted here done many, many times better. --Chris Power
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PHB has done a belting debut album which is full of surprises. For example, what first sounds like a straightforward disco-funk song suddenly docks with a mothership of intergalactic guitar wig-out and soars into hyperspace. The lyrics are smart and knowing in a very New York way. The songs don't quite segue into one another (that would be a bit TOO retro), but you get nice interludes between the songs like weird cinema organ, quiet guitar or a crackling ceremonial bonfire, which is probably being tended by a caveman just as the Space Odyssey monolith descends. It's funky, spacey, disco-ey, intelligent, atmospheric, catchy, danceable, chilloutable, singalongable, and incredibly musical.
When I first heard PHB doing a brilliant live session on the Radcliffe and Maconie radio programme, I felt sure that they were using samples from old funk records - but no! These are real musicians playing real instruments, and they're damn good as well, with guitar and organ riffs to (tie) dye (your loon pants) for. The drumming and percussion is red hot too.
The whole album has a very natural sound, like it was recorded more-or-less live. The only criticism I have of the album is that the recording doesn't sound as crisp as I would like: a shame given the quality of the musicians. Sometimes it sounds like the bass drum clips a bit like it was recorded too loud, and everything sounds like it's got a matt finish. It won't spoil your enjoyment, and you might even prefer the warm, fuzzy `vintage' sound, but personally I would have preferred a super-clean sound like some of the bands of the 70s like Steely Dan or Earth Wind and Fire, just to show off the fine playing.
Either way, I this deserves to becomes a summer hit. I would love to see PHB tour the UK, and I look forward to their future releases.
As stated in the other review, the recording quality could be better - although it does add to the retro type funk sound, and live I should imagine as a live act these are quite something, probably totally unpredictable.
Eagerly anticipating the follow up!
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