The Soapbox Album Club 2018 Editon

Nice pick Tux, not a patch on the virginmary's but then what is? I'm a fan of quite a few of these modern sort of crossover jam bands though I'd not heard this mob before. A lovely combination of jazz & funk with some afrobeat vibes thrown in. Fantastic sax & organ work on the record, really brings the songs to life. I will say the slower numbers don't quite work for me in the same way that the more energetic cinematic feeling tunes do. I think the problem is the rhythm section, for a funk band the drums tend to plod & feel a little lifeless at times. Though like I said, I really dig this kind of thing & enjoyed the record a lot. Anything which feels like it has been lifted from a 70s crime flick will always appeal to me.

Favourites were "Who Is Walt Druce?", "Jorge Buccio" & "X-Ray Bear" I'll score it a 7.25

Tucker have you checked out The Budos Band? Similar type thing, their first three records are well worth hearing. Also the new record from Calibro 35 "Decade" would probably appeal, its less afro-beat, more jazz-rock with a very slight hint of prog, not the cape-wearing 20 feet of keyboards kind.

Two instrumental records to kick off the album club. The big question is will SRK bottle it and pass his choice on again, causing mayhem within the soapbox album club? Or will he make us suffer more than when we heard sloan by forcing the new Jack White LP on us?

WTF? I spent hours rigging that draw so I'd have my pick on my birthday. Just because you're the very last person out of EVERYBODY taking part doesn't mean you can toy with me like this.

Glad you enjoyed it, Karlos.  You should check out their debut, Haptics, if you get a chance.  Probably a more fun sound overall than Wooden Boy.

And I will definitely check out The Budos Band & Calibro 35, thanks for the recommendz!

Tomorrow's the deadline for reviews right?

Comments en route...

Listened to it 3 times so far, wanna get a forth under my belt to sum up my thoughts.

That 2 weeks and 13 hours really flew by!

Get your fucking reviews in you shitrats. As the official drawer of the soapbox album club I won't hesitate to push non participants further down the pick-list

Obviously I won't push you to the last pick though, that's reserved for Kevin.

I thought the cactus channel album was entirely fine as an exercise in sounding like a 70s soul-funk band. As an actual album on its own merits, it sounded great to start, but got a bit tiresome as it went on. I actually liked some of the slower ones, that wouldn't have sounded out of place as interstitial music during some of the Harlem/Caribbean scenes in 'live and let die'...nothing I'd go back and listen to 50 times, but as a one-off, it's pretty good time-passing music. And it gets a bonus half-point for not being the virginmarys. 6.5/10

Jorge Buccio is a tune and a half

i'm very much of the titch/barny mindset here.

it's not bad by any means but is almost too pleasant sounding. i just like this sort of music to be a bit dirtier and edgier. it's something i can't say i didn't enjoy and it had me nodding my head along but was pretty forgettable and i've heard this sort of thing done so much better elsewhere.

not a disaster of virgin marys proportions but a generous 6/10 is the best i can give it.

I hope you’ve got your choice ready for the 30th srk!

Gonna post my review 13 hours after the deadline.

YOU CAN’T PUSH ME DOWN ANY FURTHER.

It's going up tomorrow, shitballs. I ain't posting no shit on a holiday.

Stocky, Columbia Rocks Man, forever & krburg, the BAD AIDS is approaching.

Well I feel rushed now, just came on here for a quick browse before bed now i've got the fear of god in me from the approaching bad aids.

Right. On the first listen I really enjoyed this, it was a sunny day and I was driving along nodding my head to everything thinking i'm gonna be listening to this quite a lot over the next few weeks. That was the high point though, as each time i've listened to it i've actually enjoyed it less and less. Tonight's listen in particular grated on me. It might well be because i've been in a pretty shit mood recently and the last thing i've wanted to hear are perky horns and driving basslines.

The music's fine, not bad at all and the genre is something I can enjoy. It just never really clicked and I found it a bit samey in the end. Sorry tucker, it's not you, it's me. 5/10.

I recon if I saw this band in a club, or playing a small stage at a festival on a pleasant sunny afternoon, I'd really enjoy it. There's a market for this kind of music and rightly so. But judging them purely on this album, I can't say I'm much of a fan. There's no edge. This is partly down, I'm fairly certain, to a low recording budget and a producer without enough time/inspiration to push them anywhere interesting. Sadly, this is the case for a lot of bands these days. Records are increasingly something produced to sell at gigs. The days of six month recording budgets are long gone. With regret, I'm going 5.

The Cactus Channel.

I'm just going to echo the general feeling for this record. I like it, there's plenty here to enjoy, but it just doesn't seem to have much gravitas. I think as has been pointed out, these sorts of records seem to be better suited to older styles of production and hence I just find it all a little too polished and modern sounding. The instrumentation is great and there are plenty of great ideas, Wooden Boy Parts 1&2, Laika and Bison Slide being standouts for me. They're the sort of band that I hear every so often, a modern band doing fusions of those more 'groove' based genre's like funk, afro beat & jazzy stuff, that sound brilliant in passing, in a bar or a record shop for instance, but once you get stuck into the album, it just doesn't sink in fully.

Again, probably be a more than enjoyable live band in the right setting aswell.

I did enjoy this to a certain degree, but I don't know how often i'd go back to it. So it's a 6/10 from me.

Srk where is your pick?

Rod is going to have to go and stand up to the soapbox album club association and explain his absence.