Bicycle, Tricycle
"Real As You Believe" CD
Self-released
Genre: pop/rock, indie rock
May 2006 |
Good to see Bicycle, Tricycle are still putting stuff out.
After the unusual but intriguing Law of Fives EP, they've come
up with this ten track album. This is typical B,T stuff, with
the cult-like Bohb figure behind it all. Reading through the
self-proclaimed propaganda on their website, you find numerous
references to myths and conspiracies littered throughout - all part of
the bizarre image the band has crafted for themselves. Making sense of
it is next to impossible, but the main fact to point out is that the
band's name is a reference to the numbers 2 and 3 - or 23 - which
turns up in some of the strangest places (see some interesting details
here).
What this all has to do with the music is a mystery to me, because
this just seems like quirky, electronic-heavy pop = the results
of a productive home-studio loaded up with all sorts of instruments
and gear. The musical quality varies throughout; some songs are quite
inspired, while others are bland or amateurish. Synth-pop tunes "Knife
For You" and "Generally Connected" are likely the album's strongest
tunes, taking major cues from 80s rock and balancing energy and
ballad-like emotion well. Sadly not all songs succeed so easily - "Diggin'
Graves in a Hole" is abysmally repetitive and "Selfish" is lacking in
listenability. Fortunately a number of other strong songs - like the
mystic "What An Island" and groovy "Far Out" - save the album from
falling into the abyss of mediocrity. Real As You Believe is an
interesting and entertaining listen for the most part, but some of the
weaker songs muddle up its pace. Worth a look for outsider pop
devotees.
MP3s (from bicycletricycle.com):
Far Out,
Knife For You,
Generally Connected
74%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by
CD Baby, released 2005] |
