EBB: Mad & Killing Time

EBB is a unique and fascinating progressive rock sextet based in Scotland, UK. The band includes 5 women and 1 man, and they write and skillfully play their own material. Mad & Killing Time is their debut studio album presenting to us music that incorporates some symphonic rock, neo-prog, psychedelic rock, and classic rock with nuances of jazz, folk, and pop. The current lineup is comprised by Erin Bennett (lead vocals, guitars, and trumpet), Anna Fraser (drums and percussion), Bad Dog (electric and fretless bass), Kitty Biscuits (percussion, backing vocals and spoken words), Suna Dasi (backing vocals, synthesizers, and Moog), and Nikki Francis (sax and flutes, Mellotron, Hammond and clarinet). This is a stupendous record that shouldn’t be left out by prog lovers just because of its oddity, the fact that is basically a women’s prog band… au contraire… it makes it even more interesting! Originally from Ft Worth Texas, Erin Bennett is an award-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist who started her professional career back in the mid 2000’s as leader of the folk-rock band Syren, before moving to the UK and making Edinburgh her new home, and the place where she met her current EBB bandmates. Her guitar playing is fantastic and varied, and her voice combined with those of Kitty and Suna produce an enchanting angelic-sounding vocal trio, a magic that can be heard in songs like “Tension�, “Hecate�, “What Under What�, and the beautiful closer “Mary Jane�.

Bad Dog to me is the MVP here, and his connection with Anna Fraser is outstanding, they jointly switch flawlessly from one sub-genre to the other carrying the rest of their bandmates on their shoulders, masterfully creating rhythmic passages that are both complex and easy to follow, quite an enjoyable mix.

The album opens with the symphonic instrumental “Vorspiel/Grieg’s Diner�, sounding like an orchestra tunning before displaying all its power, with emphasis in all wind instruments and preluding my favorite song of the album, “The Animal Said I�, a fantastic song that will mark the beginning of what to me are the best 30 minutes of the record, very melodic but at the same time with that same darkness of space-rock era Pink Floyd, Eloy and even King Crimson, evident influences in the sextet’s work. Bad Dog’s work reaches its peak in the song “Tension�, a song that portrays exactly that, pure tension… creative and soaring synth sounds help in conceiving the most retro-oriented sound of the band, always relying on the fabulous rhythmic section and the scorching guitar licks… damn good stuff… love Erin’s singing accompanied by the angelic backing vocals. “Hecate� is another great song, very heartfelt and dramatic, with catchy melodies and choruses and a great piano-guitar tandem, perhaps the less prog and more modern sounding song, but still a good one. “What Under What� is a beautiful ballad, extremely catchy and memorable, like a cross between Wish You Were Here and Us and Them, a song with an alternate groovy psychedelic ending. That same Floydian vibe continues in “Violet is Tits�, an instrumental track that will get you off your seat and make you dance, a dance-mode that will be reinforced with the organ- laden “Krystal and the Red Light�, with an outstanding rhythmic section, incredible vocalization, furious guitars and synths, and smart arrangements… a song that signifies what the sextet is about … “Confess� is an eclectic tune, an ode to the less immediate prog rock of the early 70’s, a little chaotic but balanced by the angelical vocals, and the synths and basslines are quite remarkable.

The album closes with the beautiful folky song “Mary Jane�, a well-deserved refreshment after digesting 40 plus minutes of tense and somehow dense progressive rock music. This album has been a cool surprise to me, music that grows with every listen, like it is supposed to happen, discovering, and understanding what the band tries to transmit through their compositions. Well crafted, well performed… I recommend it, cheers!

Track list:
1. Vorspiel / Grieg’s Diner (2:49)
2. The Animal Said I (6:22)
3. Tension (6:43)
4. Hecate (6:26)
5. What Under What (5:51)
6. Violet is Tits (3:57)
7. Krystal at the Red Light (5:01)
8. Confess (5:28)
9. Mary Jane (5:15)

Added: April 8th 2023
Reviewer: Jose Antonio Marmol
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 976
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]