A review of the new album by Bedouin Soundclash, "Street Gospels". It's punk, it's dub, dancehall, soul, reggae and even a little doo wop - all disguised as pop rock.
Band: Bedouin Soundclash
Album: Street Gospels
Release Date: August 21, 2007
Label: Dine Alone Records
Genre: Rock, Ska, Reggae
Members: Jay Malinowski, Eon Sinclair, Pat Pengelly
From: Toronto, Ontario (Darryl Jenifer)
Critics will be excused if they mistaken Bedouin Soundclash’s sophomore CD, Street Gospels, for a pop record. Granted, it does sound very polished, but credit that to the production skills of Darryl Jenifer, legendary bass player for the band Bad Brains.
No, Street Gospels is equal reggae and equal soul – the latter being an exciting change in direction for this relatively young band. The shift in sound is most noticeable in Jay Malinowski’s more prevalent voice; the bass and drumming are tuned down to put more emphasis on the harmonies of both his voice and the guitar strumming. Malinowski’s soulful vocals alone justify the title of the record – there is a sublime light the shines through songs like “Walls Fall Down”, “Until We Burn (The Kids Want A Love Song)”, “Bells of 59” (oh, those steel pan drums) and “12:59 Lullaby”.
The addition of the traditional gospel hymn, “Hush, Somebody’s Calling My Name”, is a wonderful touch. The a capella performance acts as a prayer guiding our lost loved ones through the afterlife and into the next.
Still the Same Old Bedouin
But the reggae, ska, dancehall and dub influences haven’t been lost from 2004’s Sounding A Mosaic. Alexisonfire’s Wade MacNeil provides some additional vocals on tracks like “Gunships” and “St. Andrews”, imbuing the band with a sound not unlike the Clash.
“Midnight Rocker” and “Jealousy and the Get Free” bring the jitterbug bass lines of the dub sound – the latter with the help of legendary frontman for the Maytones, Vern Buckley, who returns to the Bedouin front.
“Walls Fall Down” features an inviting two-step beat and an extremely catchy chorus that screams four simple words straight to the Heavens as Malinowsky strums away: “Our walls fall down.”
The biggest surprise would have to be the doo-wop sound of “Nico on the Night Train”. It’s so unexpected, but greatly appreciated, and proof of the band’s development as songwriters.
Rooted in Reggae
Through all the different sounds, though, the spirit of the record never wavers, because every track is rooted in the power of reggae. This makes “Trinco Dog” and “Higher Ground”, both featuring MacNeil and Buckley, the most raw sounding tracks on the record – because they’re the most truly reggae sounding songs of them all. “Higher Ground” in particular, led by Buckley’s vocals and Sinclair’s simplistic bass lines, focuses less on the harmonies and more on the driving rhythm.
Darryl Jenifer made a career of merging reggae and rock. On Street Gospels, he and the boys of Bedouin bring together so many stylistic elements and create a truly cohesive record. But what’s most remarkable is how subtly it emerges as a rock record.
