Bevis Frond - Hit Squad
(Rubric)
The nineteenth (although with multi-volume sets, it’s closer to thirtieth) album from Walthamstow’s favorite son finds singer/songwriter/guitarist Nick Saloman and bassist Ade Shaw (also the braintrust behind the highly collectable Woronzow imprint) joined by new drummer Jules Fenton, who replaces longtime companion, Andy Ward. Opener “All Set?” (featuring some wonderfully nostalgic trumpet blasts from Roddy Lorimer) sounds like Saloman has spent a lot of time listening to his old Genesis albums, and with the fire-breathing “Dragons” and the anthemic, fist-pumping, Big Country-inspired opening guitar riff to “Through The Hedge,” it appears we may be in for The Frond’s entry into what Nick himself has referred to as “the acceptable face of prog!” One could even (mis)interpret the latter’s lyrics to bear out this theory: “Progressive disconnection took me to the edge/I feel like time has dragged me backwards through the hedge.” Even Geddy Lee couldn’t come up with a better load of twaddle than that one!
The “Come Together” riff throughout “I Feel Bad About You” underscores Nick’s avowed love of The Beatles, while daughter, Debbie provides lovely harmonies on the tongue-in-cheek title track, another entry in Nick’s vitriolic love/hate relationship with his fans/detractors (cf. North Circular’s “The Pips”). “Alpha Waves” is another of The Frond’s patented killer pop songs, featuring a hummable chorus and a catchy guitar riff whose inspiration clever trainspotters may be able to catch. I’m tempted to suggest this (along with “Through The Hedge”) may be a little tribute to the late, great Stuart Adamson, although here I’m reminded of his work with Big Country’s pre-cursor, Skids, particularly the anthemic “Into The Valley.”
Nick gets smooth and soulful on the nostalgic “Way Back When” with Debbie’s wonderful hushabye harmonies again to the fore. I also like the pretty pop of “Flood Warning,” which reminded me of some of the mellower moments on Son of Walter and North Circular, the swirling, synth-driven prog/pop of “No Attempt” with another nice trumpet break from Lorimer, and “High Point,” which may be Nick’s first foray into country rock, complete with his smashing harmonica break and a toe-tapping rhythm straight off of Neil Young’s “Cripple Creek Ferry.” And for you metalheads, there’s even a fairly blatant “borrowing” of Jimmy Page’s riff from “Black Dog” forming the basis of the album’s heaviest track, “Am I Burning?” But Nick is an equal-opportunity poacher, and the epic, 11½-minute closer, “Fast Falls The Eventide” builds upon his own opening solo from New River Head’s “God Speed You To Earth” for a cotton-mouthed head nodder, featuring Fenton’s phased drumming(!) and an extended, dreamy synth coda. It should come with a warning sticker, “Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while listening to this track!”
With 18 tracks clocking in at just under 79 minutes, Nick once again ensures his fans get their money’s worth, and while Hit Squad occasionally misses a few of its targets (e.g. “Mission Completed,” “Your Little Point” and “Doing Nothing“ are nice guitar solos that could have used better “songs” to house them, although Shaw’s throbbing basslines on the latter will be sticking in my head for days), the latest version of The Bevis Frond marks a refreshing start that takes chances with a few new styles (prog, soul, country rock) and opens the door for many great things to come. It’s their strongest release since North Circular, and is essential for fans, while not a bad starting place for novices to discover what all the fuss is about.
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