The Kiss

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:54:04
Composers: Tony Carbone; Sean How?. Bikeride: Chris Allen Burke (pedal steel guitar); Alex Sadnik (saxophone); Mark Bush (trumpet); Mike Briones (trombone); Tony Carbone, Adam Deibert (bass instrument); Chris Petrozzi (drums); Sean How? (chimes). Little known fact: Tony Carbone has the ability to turn everything he touches into chocolate. Another little known fact: when he's not turning things into chocolate, Carbone composes intricate, literate pop songs as the masthead of Bikeride. Now, it's understandable that nobody knows about, let alone believes, the tales of Carbone's Midas-like abilities. But the general public's outright ignorance of his ambitious and lovely Phil Spector-influenced power pop is practically criminal. At any rate, after five years of relative quiet following Morning Macumba (which, at the time of its arrival, was more or less given a group hug by every critic within earshot), Bikeride returned in 2007 with their fifth full-length, The Kiss. Like everything Carbone touches, and like every Bikeride album that came before it, this album is delicious. Like Morning Macumba, late-'60s pop figures big here. "There's Something Odd About Elizabeth" swells like a tie-dyed hot air balloon, what with its tight-knit Beach Boys harmonies and Theremin wails, and "Your Lips and You" (one of the album's finest tracks) teems with strings reminiscent of "Eleanor Rigby." Not that The Kiss is psychedelic through and through. "Podiaphobia" marches confidently into epic arena rock mingled with prog (think "Stairway to Heaven" remixed by ELO and performed by Queen), and "A Dancer's Feet Are Not So Neat" swings along with early-'70s country-rock grit. You'd think all this genre-bending would get tiresome, but Bikeride manage to pull it off without a hitch. Maybe it's because they're from California, and like so many California bands (Beulah, the Beach Boys, etc.) they're just gifted with a magic touch that turns every song they play into delectable pop candy. Maybe it's because Carbone's really good at writing songs. Maybe it's just because there's a Mellotron involved, and everyone knows you can't go wrong with a Mellotron. Whatever the case may be, The Kiss is yet another reason why folks should wake up, smell the chocolate, and start listening to Bikeride. ~ Margaret Reges
録音 : ステレオ (Studio)