Words by Lady Godiva
Beware, an earth tremor of epic magnitude has come to shake our planet, hail Black Cat Revue! Back with their new EP The Ballad of Django & Fuzz, these hell raisers emerge from another dimension to feast on our mere mortals’ ears.
In its human form, this four-piece is based in Glasgow, they surfaced seven years ago – founded by Garry Thomson and David Mcilwraith – honouring the musical legacy of Scottish excellence by following in the footsteps of The Jesus & Mary Chain and Primal Scream.
Being as thought-provoking as their hallucinogenic EP cover, Black Cat Revue are a powerful and tasty mix of both familiar cornerstones and lesser-known favorites. Their songs are instantly melodic, with a cheeky twist that evokes early Brian Jonestown Massacre circa Take It From The Man or Give It Back. But they have more tricks up their sleeves, their flamboyant audacity and bombastic layers of grinding guitars would indeed make an apt soundtrack to a Tarantino movie. Had they lived in the sixties, they would have fitted in Ken Kesey‘s lysergic bus, immortalized in Tom Wolfe‘s The Electric Koolaid Acid Test.
The Ballad of Django & Fuzz alludes to a kingdom nobody knows which way to go, perhaps this sovereign place exists beyond the realm of time. We find ourselves locked out of reality and travelling from one decade to another. The title-song opener surreptitiously insinuates itself in your psyche, welcoming the listener prior to unveiling a secret: a constant upsurge in energy that ends up blasting out like fireworks. There is effortless chemistry in those vocal harmonies and the density in sound is levitating. At the end of the tune, one gets propelled from cloud nine back to solid earth with a train comin’ gimmick.
The ironically titled Heavy Peace goes up a notch in the overall atmosphere thanks to its staggering drumming. All tunes fit into each other and take you further on a rollercoaster of a trail. Down River is all fired up vocals-wise and the thoughtful Lonely Stoner makes one ponder if they have found a brotherhood with these fine troubadours. The EP finale is an alternate version of The Ballad of Django & Fuzz (Reprise), which is superbly enhanced by a prominent sitar and keys that turn into a psychedelic climax right off the bat and make you feel as if you were dissolving into the sky. Way to go.
The Ballad of Django & Fuzz was released 24/09/21 on all major streaming platforms
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