How nice to be sent a recording by someone you’ve never heard of that turns out to be nothing short of excellent! The press note says it’s hard to find comparisons, which is very true. My initial thoughts are with the later jazz stories of Frank Zappa, and the weird loungecore of Destroyer. Further listens reveal the clues are in the album title – all the songs could be spy stories, and the release is linked to the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s the Man with the Golden Gun. The vocals have the tone of a slightly sleazy thespian roué…
Said roué is apparently Timo Peach, possibly not the name he was christened with. He’s definitely from Bournemouth, and claims to record everything in a little seaside shed in the holiday town. There are videos on Youtube, which rather puncture the myth by showing a youngish chap in a suit with a rather trendy beard. Bet the live shows are a riot though, when he sings with the Momo:tempo Electro Pops Orchestra.
There’s a lot of spoken word intros, featuring a variety of voices and characters in Smiley 60s situations, with titles like Our Man in Crete and (my favourite) A Chopper, A Copper and A Motorcade.
It could all be a bit hackneyed after a while…if not for the superb imaginative music and Mr Peach’s classic ear for a tune. There’s lots of brass and big beats, funky electric grooves and a very orchestral cinematic feel – Timo has sound tracked a few films, TV shows and theatre, and it shows. At least one number, with no obvious spy links, would make a great single – Undo, about all those situations where we wish we had a command undo key in our lives; and All That Love Could Be could be a Chic Daft Punk out-take love song, sung by Tony Bennett. ‘A spy-pop rollercoaster’ and ‘a playful cinematic romp’ sums it all up but doesn’t do justice to the quality. Recommended!
Kevin Hand
Launch party 6 June, JALARRA Bournemouth
