Album: Sound of Diffusion
Artist: Rollerhands
Genre/s: Alternative Rock/Ambient/ Psychedelia/Acid Folk/ Electronica
Today’s album of the day is ‘Sound of Diffusion’ by solo artist Rollerhands aka Mike Kingston who is based in Bristol, England. Occasionally, other musicians will guest on his tracks and as you will see, help to create some very memorable tunes. The album is available as a download or as a CD from Bandcamp. A link is at the end of the review. With all that said, let’s go!
Rhea Sunrise: A brooding start to the album, with sustaining electronica, sound effects and a laid back slide-guitar. This track is percussion-less and ambient in nature and it has tiny flavours of Brian Eno’s ‘Music For Fims’. This track is inhurried but yet relatively short and these two factors mean that the listener is imparted to several directions this album could go, it’s mysterious and compels the listener on.
Bovey Tracey: With further back in the mix synth, backward loop effect and lush guitar delay, ‘Bovey Tracey’ meanders in. Drums kick in suddenly with a ‘baggy’ and dancy beat. What I mean by this; the drums are similar in their delivery to the Dance/Indie hybrid rhythms bands would use during the British Baggy/Madchester/Indie era of the late 80s/very early 90s. Drums are provided by Jesse Webb (who plays on 4 tracks and has collaborated with Rollerhands in one form or another over many years) and is an extremely creative and thoughtful drummer who mixes up styles and genre techniques. The track’s rhythm evolves into something different, there’s the ambience, the electronica and almost (musically) a Hip-Hop sensibility. There’s little notions of Psychedelia too, as the ethereal voice flies in, seconded by lead guitar, used in a sparingly yet effective manner. In a previous post, I have stated that Rollerhands mixes experimentation with the notion of a proper tune- as in one you can remember. ‘Bovey Tracey’ has a great deal going on musically and creatively, but is not a busy or cluttered track. At heart of the tune, the idea is simple, then the musicians have fleshed out and evolved that idea.
All Up In My Face: This tune starts with a sustained guitar feedback that sounds like a Sitar drone, something that Psychedelic Indie/Paisley Underground bands such as Rain Parade were adept at back in the 80s. The bass is in the fore in this track, forbidding, but with a groove to it. Shimmering, but understated Psychedelic guitar back up the vocals, which are front and centre in the mix. Again, this a track which combines various elements, almost a psychedelic folk sensibility with Electronica, Dance and Alternative Rock, but uses memorable Pop hooks, both in the vocals and music. Keys approximate an unfussy solo in between the vocal passages. This is a track that has a mellow aspect to it, it’s quite a pretty track in many respects.
I’m Breaking Up: A hybrid track of styles, with bass and drums providing a Sonic Youthy rhythm section, with a vocal pattern that almost has a Glam-Rock annunciation to it. Guitars and electronics come and go as bass and drums dominate and guide the track. The rhythm section and the vocals are the hooks, with memorable synth and guitar flourishes providing little mini-riffs. As the vocals continue, there’s more of a snarl to them, reminiscent of Garage Punk bands , such as The Stooges and MC5, as the tale of a relationship doomed to end unfolds. The words become much more blunt and direct and the vocal delivery shifts to a more assertive, exasperated and bitter tone to complement the lyrics. ‘I’m Breaking Up’ ends with a musical and lyrical full-stop, aping the end of the story and the relationship.
Walk Slow: Providing a complete contrast in the album, ‘Walk Slow’ starts with a piano section, generating a delicious moodiness, similar to classic pianist Erik Satie and the Blues and Jazz infusion of Art Tatum. The guest drumming of Jesse Webb with a perfectly unfussy bass line sound a little like the 50s and 60s style of some of the drummers on the Jazz Blue Note label. What sets this apart from a track by a band where the audience might think ‘this is the Jazz one’ or this is ‘the ballad’ is that Rollerhands and co are able to weave the tune through their musicianship into something completely unique. Spacey vocals with a gentle cadence to them, plus background effects-laden guitar and guest violin (From Alice Berkeley) help to guide and evolve the track. Once the violin is established, it remains present in the track. ‘Walk Down’ breaks down into a deconstructed passage, before picking up again. This track is quite incomparable to anyone or anything, it has such an individual musical identity. Perhaps ‘Saucerful of Secrets’ era Pink Floyd with it’s Jazz nods or maybe early Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. For once, I’m uncertain though, as really it’s impossible to say and I think comparisons do ‘Walk Slow’ a disservice . All I know is that this is my personal favourite on the album and serves as an effective mid-point.
Over Again: This tune starts with an acoustic, Psychedelic-Folk feel. This tune weaves and changes. All the developments of the tune in terms of vocal, melody and music are memorable. What Rollerhands is doing here is what I like to call ‘Not over-celebrating the riff’. With this, I mean there are enough changes and ideas in this song to either write about three more or create a very long song. Rollerhands wisely takes many ideas he has had a puts them in the one song without overusing or repeating these too much. The instrumental guitar passages share, (I think) the same DNA as Psychedelic Folk artists of the 70s such as Mark Fry and Folk-Jazz groups of that era also, mainly trailblazers such as Pentangle. Some of the vocal and guitar parts have the feel of the more acoustic offerings by The Who, combined with the sometime darkness of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. There’s still some Electronica and effects in the background, these are quite understated though and to me, serve to approximate bass. What I really like also in this track, the album title ‘Sound of Diffusion’ is uttered as a lyric. It has a cohesiveness, a direction that links the album together. It’s a lovely touch.
Too Difusse: A groovy bass, drum and keys driven tune kicks in. This is perhaps the track of this album that a listener would be most inclined to dance to. There’s a Jazzy and Hip-Hop flavour to this tune. I got little flashes of the Beastie Boys and of the late US rapper, Guru and his Hip-Hop/Jazz hybrid project, Jazzamatazz. There’s also a classic Indie feel, the groove of The Stone Roses, the laid back poppiness of (The) Happy Mondays. Although, despite all these comparisons, Rollerhands maintains a sense of musical uniqueness. This tune harnesses a pop-simplicity with sophisticated musicianship and is again effective in delivering something which doesn’t over-egg either.
Elegy of Ode Bay: Starting with the sound of the sea, this tune harnesses a ambient and bass-heavy atmosphere and has a distorted, augmented spoken word track to it. What’s interesting is, you can pick out odd phrases. I think the voice has an Australian accent and might be saying at one point ‘Beach Boys track’ and ‘to be honest mate’, it’s hard to tell; I might be just hearing what I want to hear! It reminded me of something non-musical- the hypnosis technique of UK hypnotist Paul McKenna, where voices are hypnotically overlayed/distorted in a dream-like fashion. (I promise I will never mention Paul McKenna in my reviews ever again!!) Anyway, my point is, a dreamlike sonic landscape is created and the voices help to create a hypnotic ambience. Again, this track has it’s own unique musical identity.
Seven and Eight: Underpinned by bass, this track has a warm, laid back feel with gentle and pretty acoustic guitars. Gentle vocals drift along, with electric guitars both nicely sleepy and also fuzzy in places. This tune’s mellow flavour creates a song that’s almost a lullaby. Musically, Rollerhands builds the tune up and then drops it back down in lush waves of acoustic and electric guitar. There is a warm, hopeful finality to this track and the album.
‘Sound of Diffusion’ by Rollerhands is available to download from Bandcamp, so I’m adding the link below. If you would like a physical CD copy then that’s available from Rollerhands’ Bandcamp Page. Remember in buying the CD you also recieve a digital copy of the album. Hope you liked my review and enjoy listening to the album⭐️
Download ‘Sounds of Diffusion’ by Rollerhands from Bandcamp: http://rollerhands.bandcamp.com/album/sound-of-diffusion
Buy a CD copy: Merch | Rollerhands