A Wild Record from Skip Danko B-Movie Road Club
- BuzzSlayers
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
If you're not too familiar with the sounds of Skip Danko B-Movie Road Club, then let this be a bit of an introduction, as the band just released a new record that brings together some of the best elements of alternative, heavy rock drive, with spacious feels and undertones, along with cinematic backbone, and the whole thing thrives with a raw sort of energy that leans towards even a desert rock kind of aesthetic.
The record is called Trippin' On A Chinese Market, and wastes very little time kicking things off with the first track "Spacehrimps", which certainly boasts some of that desert rock Vibe along with classic rock tonality and a lot of catchiness laced into it.
Although the record is a bit outside the box and can be purely experimental at times, it never really lets go of the pop sensibility that draws you into certain aspects of the songs.
You can definitely hear elements of punk rock, especially in the energy, but also in the drive and tone of the guitar work across the entire record, and the whole thing has this fun, theatrical feel to it as well.
Tracks like "Sixteen" showcase some of their gritty, fuzz tone instrumentation and forward-moving flow, with loads of edginess and its overtone, giving the songs bite but also loads of melodic backbone as well.
The fun thing about tracks like this is that they're done with crew vocals a lot of the time. This means that there are loads of vocal tracks in one, doing the choruses or certain elements of the verses, making it feel like a big crowd is performing it.
This is also kind of a punk rock approach, and I really dig how they throw this in and out of the record at times. This track, in particular, exemplifies it perfectly.
It also adds to the overall energy levels, which are already pretty through the roof.
You can hear heavy-handed elements of synergy throughout the entire record, almost as if they recorded the entire thing live, in one room, so everyone was feeding off each other the entire time.
Some of the more experimental elements come in with tracks like "Wet Dog", which feature saxophone, animated vocals, theatrical push, and a bit of rambunctiousness that lets the song really thrive and hit with a closed-fisted approach but still a colorful vibe.
These songs can be very lush. Especially this one. You have such a different tone and texture between the guitars, that bass guitar tone,
The drumming is also always a major push for these songs. They don't just sit in the pocket really, but rather add an electric energy and drive that a lot of the rest of them sort of push off of so they can get where they need to be.
Everyone here is pushing the envelope just a little bit, and the songwriting is avant-garde to the point where things aren't too far off or tripped out, but more catchy, wild, but still danceable, fun, and hard-edged.
I think it's that combination of color and edginess that really makes this unique.
"Fear River Side" is one of my favorite tracks on the record simply because it's a slow burn and definitely displays a lot of that cinematic element I mentioned earlier.
The track starts off delicate, soft, and descriptive vocals, pulling you into the song. Instruments that sound like cellos playing through, along with acoustic guitars and a single vocal track. All of this sort of serves as the calm before the storm.
The song soon starts building up its energy and drive into a widespread and experimental drift of heaviness, fuzz tone, and alternative bliss.
Tracks like this feel a bit emotional. I love how they displayed emotion in the way that they do while still sticking to their roots in terms of how the music actually sounds.
Then we have tracks like 'Desert Donkey", which almost feels like an alternative-pop or even trip-hop song with heavy rock infused into its veins.
I definitely love this bending of genres and reshaping of sound. This band is amazing at sculpting tone.
I think it's one of their best attributes, and this record really displays a lot of that.
Now, this is definitely an album that I would suggest listening to all the way through, in one shot.
The songs aren't necessarily conceptual in terms of connecting with each other exactly, but it just flows a certain way when you listen to the entire thing.
There are parts of songs that feel semi-improvisational, there are elements of plenty of other genres scattered throughout its course, and between all of these different attributes, you have something unique and sort of impactful, honestly.
This was a brilliant soiree of electric energy and masterfully performed garage-toned tendency that all come together almost like puzzle pieces to create this boisterous atmosphere that you just can't get away from.
Definitely dig into this one as soon as you can because you don't want to miss it.
Remember where you heard it first.
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