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Post by Tin on Nov 28, 2011 11:05:49 GMT -5
When a band has a lot of comings and goings (is John Frusciante in Swahili Blonde or isn’t he?) and they’ve got the former bassist from Duran Duran contributing, it’s possible to forget that Nicole Turley (who has a few names to her history, too; WEAVE! is just one of them) is Swahili Blonde almost all by herself. But, she’s got plenty to say that should stand on its own merits rather than on the attraction of her collaborators. And on its own merits, Psycho Tropical Ballet Pink holds up very well. This review will not be the last to say it, but the album in general is reminiscent of John Zorn in all his pop-meets-weird brilliance. Six tracks long, it’s short enough to leave you wanting more without being annoyed at its brevity. Bookended by the surfer-ish shuffles of “Etiole De Mer” and “The Golden Corale”, Turley’s voice carries the collection, doing well to shift and cut open the numerous melodic and rhythm changes that make up this appetizer of sorts. To its credit, there are a number of “Is that in tune?” moments. The combination of bass, guitar, and synth on “Science is Magick” flutters about tonality; the vocal harmony on “The Golden Corale” stretches but never exceeds the limits of pleasantness. For good measure, there’s a dark and brilliant cover of A-ha’s “Scoundrel Days” to kick around, too. It’s a fitting homage to a genre that’s picked apart and reassembled to fine order here. But that’s Psycho Tropical Ballet Pink in a nutshell, and hey, it’s working so far. Essential Tracks:“Etiole De Mer” and “The Golden Corale” consequenceofsound.net/2011/11/album-review-swahili-blonde-psycho-tropical-ballet-pink/
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Post by duranfan09 on Nov 28, 2011 13:36:08 GMT -5
Duran Duran didn't have a bassist during the time of John's short absence as Nick used synth basses instead, so who on Earth are they talking about? John has been the one and only bassist since the formation of the 'final' line-up to my knowledge.
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errbt
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Post by errbt on Nov 28, 2011 14:06:33 GMT -5
Duran Duran didn't have a bassist during the time of John's short absence as Nick used synth basses instead, so who on Earth are they talking about? John has been the one and only bassist since the formation of the 'final' line-up to my knowledge. Technically Warren was the studio bass player during John's absence (he rerecorded much of what John had done for Medazzaland, and other tracks John never worked on), plus all of Pop Trash as far as I know, with Wes Wehmiller filling the roll live. In any event, they're referring (albeit incorrectly labelled as former) to JT, who was working with Fruscante before the latter John's wanderlust made him leave yet another project. In the end I'd bet it could be chalked up to some music press dumba** that doesn't even know John is back in Duran Duran, or possibly that they even still exist! EDIT: I thought Frusciante had been the starter of the project...apparently he wasn't.
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Post by duranfan09 on Nov 29, 2011 6:23:45 GMT -5
You learn something new every day. Never had Warren down as a bass player at all.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2011 7:26:15 GMT -5
Maybe they've got mixed up with Swahili Blonde's debut album released in 2010 called 'Man Meat'. The album featured John Taylor playing Bass on "Tigress Ritual".
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errbt
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Post by errbt on Nov 29, 2011 9:45:49 GMT -5
You learn something new every day. Never had Warren down as a bass player at all. LOL, gotta admit the guy is a pretty talented all around musician (and arranger - I guess he was almost single handly responsible for the reworkings of Planet Earth, GOF, HLTW, etc. for their new presentations when touring the wedding album, including the string parts)! As far as bass, though, I've always had a theory that any guitar player worth his salt should be able to pick up a bass and be as least passably proficient...but maybe that's just because I was bound and determined that I was going to be a bass player ('cause of JT) until I was lured to the guitar. Never owned a bass or "learned" properly, but I can pick up our band's bassist's Steinberger and play, as I said, passably (my goal is to learn Rio and Last Chance on the Stairway, ghost notes and all - I'm only about halfway there)! ;D
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Nov 29, 2011 9:57:40 GMT -5
Yeah, anyone who can play the guitar to a competent level should be able to play bass to a reasonable standard.
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Post by duranfan09 on Nov 29, 2011 20:45:57 GMT -5
my goal is to learn Rio and Last Chance on the Stairway, ghost notes and all - I'm only about halfway there LCOTS has an amazing bass line Similar to the Rio bassline, but better in my opinion (yet we never get to hear John play it live... sigh)
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errbt
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Post by errbt on Nov 30, 2011 11:40:22 GMT -5
my goal is to learn Rio and Last Chance on the Stairway, ghost notes and all - I'm only about halfway there LCOTS has an amazing bass line Similar to the Rio bassline, but better in my opinion (yet we never get to hear John play it live... sigh) Agreed 100%. Same technique used but with an even more vibrant, uplifting feel than Rio. Check out Zuma (the best JT bass player not named JT - actually, he might even play the parts even better than John does these days - and nails the gear, technique, and sound every time) in these clips: Last Chance - actual song performance starts at 1:35 in: Rio - song performanc e starts at 1:40 in: GOF (Night Version) Sound of Thunder He has several others as well!
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