CD REVIEW – SEAN PINCHIN – Monkey Brain

Shane | 11 April 2016 | Reply

CD REVIEW – SEAN PINCHIN – Monkey Brain
Independent
18 March, 2016
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8 1/2 /10

Sean Pinchin has had some blues in his life, judging by the lyrics that make up Monkey Brain’s eight blues rocking tracks.

Monkey Brain boasts a Lenny Kravitz-like tone whilst talking about giving in to baser emotions (“when life gets to me, my head starts to change – I give in to my monkey brain”); the swamp rock of Charity Case sees him turning away misguided sympathy and help for problems he’d rather deal with alone; Living In The Past deals with personal loss and regrets; Goin’ Hobo touches on the desire many of us have felt at one time or another to pack in our complicated and responsible lives and fall off the grid; whilst Monsters deals with fighting his personal demons.

Don’t get to thinking that Monkey Brain is a morose and dark experience – far from it. Musically Pinchin’s guitar playing is upbeat and bluesy, sometimes recalling Led Zeppelin, sometimes going further back to some raw early blues. Vocally, in addition to some Kravitz form, he sings from the heart and with an amiable quality that is endearing. It’s obvious that many of these tracks were recorded straight from the band floor, with the easy chemistry between Pinchin, drummer Adam Warner, bassist Mark McIntyre and backing vocalists Rob Szabo (also the producer of this tight and punchy affair) and Emma-Lee.

Pinchin’s last album, 2013’s Rustbucket, led him to a nomination at Canada’s 2014 Maple Blues Awards for New Artist Of The Year, and the form here should be enough to get him over the line for a lot more than that this year.