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Reviewed by John Paul Carroll

Melting Faces: From The Boardroom

Reviewed by John Paul Carroll

Melting Faces: From The Boardroom

Ostensibly the psychedelic garage folk blues soundscape of Jesse Walsh, Blair Clarke, Daniel O’Brien and Ben Lovell, Melting Faces ’ executive album is a collection of smooth, jammed, bluesy, rocky and soulful songs that sound like they might be held in shared custody between a local rock bar and a cafe on a Sunday morning.

While Wind From The Sun and You Make It Better ease you into the album with gently building smooth vibes, trumpets and laid back grooves, the likes of Harvest and Sexplosion explore elements of punk, garage rock, jazz and psychedelia, raise the tempo and explore more challenging terrain.

When vocals appear they are emotive and smooth, bringing to mind bands such as The Black Seeds, while the guitars occupy a space that is more garage rock-driven and retain options in funk and psychedelia, adding to an already colourful palate of sounds. The rhythm section is like a couple that has just started going steady – when they groove together they lock in tight, but still value their personal space and have their own moments to shine. All thrown together things can get a little crazy, though without doubt this is what was intended. In essence, ‘From The Boardroom’ sounds like the work of a collective of musicians without pre-conception of what this record was going to sound like. A perfectly executed jam of blues, psychedelia, garage rock, funk and soul that makes for easy listening for the most part, but can challenge the listener at the flick of a switch.