Tsounis, Billy And The Amazing Androids: Pimped By The Gods

If nothing else the title Pimped By The Gods reveals just how seriously Billy Tsounis takes the world. The innate humour brought by tracks such as "Funky Phone Call From Below", "Cat Fight Inside Crashed UFO" and "Bunny Robot Needs Hugs" also suggesting that Billy and his Amazing Androids make the instrumental noise first and then find out how the music hangs before pinning a name on it. Describing himself as an experimental, psych, rock guitarist-composer, I'd hazard a guess that much of the composing is done on the spot, in the moment and while residing slap bang in the middle of the zone. The nine pieces presented here having much more to do with emotion, energy and soul than structure, form or conformity. We're deep in the territory of psych and deep in the groove as a talented guitarist delves deep behind enemy lines with a band that incorporates the electric cello of Luca Marquardt, bass of Aris Weathersby and drums of Theron Lynott. In itself that's an unusual configuration and the jam band feel allows the foursome to explore its possibilities in a way you might not expect.

That said, the very essence of how everything comes together can make much of what's on show here refuse to dig in as deep as you believe it has, repeat visits to the album revealing little has stuck in the mind. That may in itself provide a freshness many bands fail to achieve and yet it also builds a slight barrier over time that you need to continually break through in order to truly immerse yourself in music that really feels like it was meant to surround you and seep into your very being. Crank it up loud, lose your inhibitions and simply get lost in the moment, and "Planet Snow Snack" becomes a mad triumph, just as "A Good Book And A Spanking" reveals an excellent time, if not quite the wicked one you might have expected.

Pimped By The Gods is an album that at first glance can feel remote and off hand and in truth you really do need to dig in deep to overcome those obstacles. Once you do, it's all about living for the song and not caring a jot for, well, pretty much everything else. In essence that's exactly what music, especially instrumental music, should be capable of doing. You may not learn to love Pimped By Gods, but that it succeeded in meeting its aims is beyond any doubt.

Track Listing
1. JUNGLE ON E
2. FUNKY PHONE CALL FROM BELOW
3. A GOOD BOOK AND A SPANKING
4. PIMPED BY THE GODS
5. PLANET SNOW SNACK
6. CAT FIGHT INSIDE CRASHED UFO
7. BACKWOODS
8. VELVET ROPE REJECT
9. BILLY TSOUNIS AND THE AMAZING ANDROIDS - BUNNY ROBOT NEEDS HUGS

Added: December 26th 2017
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Pimped By Gods on bandcamp
Hits: 1823
Language: english

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