CD REVIEW: THE BENJEES – Alright Alright Alright

Shane | 13 September 2015 | Reply

CD REVIEW: THE BENJEES – Alright Alright Alright
Independent
August 2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7 ½ / 10

It’s hard not to like an album which starts with the chant “I wanna be filthy fucking rich” before launching into a funk rock jam that evokes hallucinations of sequin jumpsuits and afros and the weirdest shaped guitars this side of the Purple Palace.

But wait – this is The Benjees, not some band of Hollywood Rick James obsessives. These cats are from Brooklyn, New York City, and they are decidedly rock n’ roll leaning.

I say leaning ‘cos Alright cubed has deep roots in rock, and then branches that wind through funk and soul, pop and more.

There’s a grit to their pop, though – like a sneering glance, it’s never as sweet and simple as it may first appear. There’s more than a small slice of Beastie Boys cool and sass as well, and like their NYC forefathers, they obviously have an enormously eclectic record collection and aren’t afraid to mix things up.

Rowdy is electro punk that pulses with the heartbeat of a great party; celebrity is pop punk with ‘80s synths added for no reason other than ‘they were there’; Other Side and Book Of Matches bounce exuberantly along.

Recorded in just two days, Alright cubed positively pulsates with energy and bristles with… not violence, but there’s something in between the grooves to remind us that this non-stop party could turn ugly at any moment. Like some of the best nights out, that frisson adds to the fun provided it stays on the right side of the red line.

https://www.facebook.com/thebenjees