By Ljubinko Zivkovic, Rock At Night Amsterdam
Album Review: Spygenius – Jobbernowl-Release date June 24, 2022 via Big Stir Records
Some good things remain known only to the selected few, or those lucky enough to stumble upon them. Maybe Canterbury via South London or vice versa quartet Spygenius want it that way, maybe not (more likely), but their band name reflects the current disparity between the quality of their music and the fact that their name is probably not so recognizable to a wider audience. Maybe their latest album Jobbernowl will rectify that numskull or no numskull that the album title refers to.
Peter Watts (frontman and guitar), Ruth Rogers (bass), Matt Byrne (keys) and Alan Cannings (drums) – and everybody sings, are definitely no numskulls themselves but a band with an obvious penchant not only for the best of the sixties pop/rock The Beatles/The Byrd style, but also the new wave purveyors like Robyn Hitchcock, Squeeze and quite a few others, and just a little touches of the famous Cantenbury prog scene scene (“The Marvelous, Mendacious Time Machine”), all wrapped up nicely and brough to the current century, all in a manner that rarely a current artists do, well, Irish power pop stallwarts Pugwash do come in mind here.
Jobernowl is all brilliant melodies, ringing guitars (not too loud) and some exquisite vocal harmonies all around and arrangements to match. Whoever dug these guys (and a gal) is certainly a spy genius. One to put on the end of the year list already.
Listen to the song “Dig your new robes, Pierre!”
The band will have an album launch party in Croydon on July 2nd. Details are HERE:
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