Music
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.
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