green machineThis four-man rock machine from Portugal is doing something right. Their new album, Plays Ghost is a rockin’, jumpin’ 12 track release that reminds me of many things, including DC punk rock, Rage Against the Machine, The Greenhornes, Jonathan Fire-Eater, 60’s beat music and a glimmer of 70’s rock.
In addition to a host of guest musicians, the band is made up of Pedro Oliveira on drums, Angelo Sousa on bass, Bruno Costa on guitar and singer Joao Pimenta. This is music that begs to be performed live, the energy of these four is palpable and it’s hard to imagine them keeping still long enough in a studio to get this all on tape. Track 1, ‘Almodóvar Kind of Girl’ comes off a little demo-ish, like an old track they never got quite right but is charming in it’s own, raw, right. ‘…And You Will Know Us By The Dancefloor’ takes it further with a poppy jumping beat that instantly gets you up. Once you get used to the abrupt, shouty lyrical style of Joao Pimenta, things start falling into place. He deftly alternates between a whisper, a scream and a crooning chorus, inviting the rest of the band to shout out the high points.
‘I’ve Rejected You Cause I Can’t Deal With Rejection’ begins as a 60’s beat inspired rock song and instantly jumps again into the call and response singing style. The saucy, closing shake of a maraca reminds you that these guys cannot be pigeon-holed, they’re not afraid to mixed a Rage-styled shout with a 60’s Latin inspired fizz of a rhumba shaker. A nice bass-line draws us into track 4, ‘Black Heart, Leave Me There!’ and there is Joao shouting out a badabada, like a machine gun, you can just imagine him jumping all over the place, on the brink of losing control. His screaming and pleading give up some Elvis trill and a whiff of Glenn Danzig. A gorgeous guitar line opens ‘All-Star Love Triangle’, a dreamy upbeat number that is sure to be a hit in dance rock clubs. By now, just halfway through the album the song titles have become the second attraction on this album, invoking plenty of creative references that help to flesh out the image of this band. Just try to catch every one! Yes, they are Portuguese and yes, they are singing in English so I can’t help but wonder if the lyrics are supremely clever plays on words or lucky mistakes that come off like pop culture poetry. Track 6 is called ‘Your Inferno Fuck Me Eyes’ and has officially earned a spot on the top ten list of my all-time favorite song titles.
With this track they shifts gears a bit by starting out with a 70’s rock inspired guitar intro followed by a classic swing beat on the drums and Joao singing in a low growl. This song, although punctuated by moments similar to the other songs, is a nice departure from the rest of the album. Josh Homme would be impressed. From the anthemy shout “we feel unstoppable!!!” on ‘Blonia’ to the lovely drum solos, acoustic guitar and swinging dance beat on ‘A Nation of Shy Persons’ down to the always appreciated cowbell on ‘Cola/I’m Sick Of The Same Old Town’ the album keeps a sweaty, pulsing rhythm with whispers and screams and rocking guitar licks that hold it all together like a train barreling down the track. Ending the album is a short, sweet, instrumental valentine to blues-rock introduced by a Howlin’ Wolf sound byte, called ‘Ghost Blues’. This may be a mildly indulgent way to close, but after all the frenetic jamming it seems sincere and personal.
These boys have definitely been studying rock music and deftly manage to glean what they love into a well-done homage to a mish mash of contemporary and vintage rock. And that’s what makes it such fantastic fun and a genuine good time. I just wish Joao would trust his voice a little more and give us actual singing. While the shouting style works, it can get a bit tiresome and redundant. Indeed when he lowers his voice and works with subtlety the screaming really pays off down the road.
:: Green Machine: Plays Ghost - Rastilho Records/Cargo.
