
It’s been a while since we last reviewed a Rum Bar Records release, but All the Madmen simply couldn’t be ignored. encompassing a huge catalogue on one release (almost 40), when the virtual needle dropped on the magnificent Bowie Glam stomping ‘So Many Times’, I was transfixed. With a great mix, it was cancel everything I’m all in on the Madmen for the time being.
Vibrant, punchy, paying homage to an era of discovery and wonderment, yet keeping it real and relevant the songs popped and jumped out of my speakers with a joy of life and grabbed my undivided attention like all good records.
All The Madmen complete retrospective encompassing 3 full-length album releases: Ordinary Life / Twinstar Radio / Teenage American Style
If you love an artist and they have a profound impact on how you deliver your music, then why the hell not embrace it, Don’t spend your short time on this spinning rock denouncing or denying, embrace it and run with it – see where it takes you. Obviously don’t rip ’em off for parodying them, but emulate and be inspired, that’s always cool and that’s what is happening here. There is no avoiding the fact that singer Glen Meredith is a fan and shapes how he delivers the vocals, but there’s more to it than that; he’s not mimicking, he’s being himself. When the band get locked into the music, it’s a beautiful thing, all the glitzed-up sleaze of it.
There’s a hard edge going on, but also a keen eye on the pop melodies and mass appeal, which isn’t a bad thing. Sure, there’s a lot of material to get through, but it can also be indulged in manageable chunks. Some of the highlights would be the softer moments like ‘Teenage American Style’ and the anthemic ‘Ordinary Life’. Music is there to be enjoyed, and All The Madmen got the memo and delivered a thoroughly enjoyable bunch of tunes. Go on, dive in, you’ll like what you hear.
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Author: Dom Daley
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