THE DOLLY ROCKER MOVEMENT (Our Days Mind The Tyme) LP/CD
In sharp contrast to the past, where Bad Afro Records had only a clear focus on the Scandinavian rock scene, Australia's THE DOLLY ROCKER MOVEMENT is their first band from outside of Scandinavia. They are no unknowns in the psychedelic folk/rock scene and 'Our Days Mind The Tyme' is their third album, which originally has been released by Off The Hip Records in 2009. At first: the new cover artwork looks much better than the original and fits perfect to the ten songs. 'Our Days Mind The Tyme' is full of jewels and offers a wide variety of musical styles. It's a combination of melancholic garage rock, dreamy proto-psych, Byrds influenced folk rock, and smart, soulful pop. The instrumentation and execution, too, is perfectly calibrated to bring forth both sweet and bitter in equal measure. I would argue that 'Our Brave New World' represents a top-notch effort in early psychedelia with its dark melodies, trippy effects, and out and out sadness.
Female background vocals as in 'The Ecstacy Once Told' strengthen the enraptured atmosphere of the album while Daniel Poulter's haunting vocals are perched somewhere between desperation and spiritual enlightenment. The Farfisa organ is wonderfully integrated into the song structures and is a further proof that THE DOLLY ROCKER MOVEMENT fully understand their craft. Because of its baroque vibe, 'A Sound For Two' reminds me of early Stranglers, whereas 'Coffin Love', a beautiful duet between Daniel Poulter and Jules Farrari Gills, is not so far removed from what Lee Hazlewood did together with Nancy Sinatra during the 1960's. It does not surprise me that legendary Bomp Records founder Greg Shaw (RIP) praised and loved the music of THE DOLLY ROCKER MOVEMENT. So it all boils down to this: 'Our Days Mind The Tyme' is an incredibly enjoyable release from one of Australia's best psychedelic bands. Fans of 1960's rock 'n' roll, folk and pop and everything in between will love this. Trip out.
(KK)