Album Review - The Southern Electrics,

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The Southern Electrics debut album blasts off, in more ways than one, with “Electric Superhighway”, a psychedelic call to arms for the internet generation. It rocks and it rolls, but with bold new beats and bleeps; the mangled soundscapes and vocoder vocals merging with the sound of a guitar band a-blazing. This track sets the tone for an album that is both dark and light, and quite often at the same time.

Right from the blistering start we take a trip through music from the past 40 years; 60’s psychedelia, 70’s glam, 80’s electronica, and 90’s eclecticism, it’s all here to hear and creates an album that is a sonic surprise for ailing ear drums. How would a love ode to an extraterrestrial sound? “Alien” provides the answer; “She took me out to a restaurant, and we dined on the Milky Way.” Delicious lyrics, and an array of sounds to brighten the darkest of moods.

Bill McGruddy’s vocals and lyrics, sometimes dirty, sometimes despairing, always direct and bold, take us on journeys through the pleasure and pain zones of life today. Pole dancers on “Go Dirty”, devious divas on “Media Coke Whore”, lost souls on “The Rogues Gallery”, the passionate peaks of love on “Sky High”.

The band are tight always, transposing from rock solid to smooth and subtle; the real grooves of the drums, bass and guitar reinforced with analog keyboard wizardry or old school organ as required. Dug Wolfsohn, knob twiddler extraordinaire, adds his distinctive bleeps, sweeps, and otherworldly soundscapes, creating an important extra dimension to the band. And it is him, along with Bill McGruddy, acting as Producers, that mould the sound into a cohesive whole, exciting and dynamic.

This is late night, seductive, smouldering, dare I say seedy music, for those that are bored stiff of the saccharine sweet Pop and Rock that bombards us on the radios. This is the music that should be playing across our airwaves, so join the revolution now.

Matt Thomas