Bedouin Soundclash

Street Gospels

Dine Alone/Universal

John Papamarko (CHARTattack)

08/21/2007 3:51pm

Street Gospels is an extremely well-crafted pop record. The dub-heavy bass runs and drumming of 2004's Sounding A Mosaic are toned down in the mix this time, allowing Jay Malinowski to steer the ship vocally. His voice goes from smooth reggae vibe to gravelly wail in the blink of an eye on album opener "Until We Burn In The Sun." With less reliance on dub, Bedouin reach into their bag of influences and pull out a handful of The Clash on "St. Andrews" (with it's "Jimmy Jazz" guitar) and "Gunships," which I had to Google to make sure it wasn't a Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros cover. The doo-wop-influenced "Nico On The Night Train" wouldn't be out of place in a '50s diner. It's a definite departure, but it's reassuring to see the band experimenting. Success can be cruel. It forces groups to spend long periods of time on the road away from the studio. Momentum is easy to lose. Yet, miraculously, three years after releasing Sounding A Mosaic, Bedouin Soundclash haven't missed a beat.