Project Description

THE BAMBOOS

‘NIGHT TIME PEOPLE’

(Album review)

21/06/18

Reviewer: Vicky Hebbs 

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Night Time People is the eighth studio album from The Bamboos, and as it is their first album in three years it is exciting to see them release thirteen tracks that seem to all have their own story to tell and unique contribution to make.

First track Lit Up starts with a few lines of grainy piano, and then the beat kicks in. The piano riff rises with the cowbell that keeps the beat throughout the song. Kylie Auldist’s powerful vocals saturated the airways in 2016 when French DJ Kungs remixed This Girl with Cookin’ On Three Burners. Her voice on Lit Up is rich and certainly a far better example of the capacity of her voice than on the This Girl remix. The track is a seductive, toe-tapping start to the record.

Stranded’s chorus and repeated diminuendo express the pain of heartbreak, yet the constant beat amps the mood of the song up a notch.

Pony Up is a funky, brass-heavy tune in which Auldist gets sassy, telling a lover to get their act together. The well-placed guitar solo in the middle of the song and echoey singing at the end changes it up, marking the song apart from the former tracks.

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STREAM/PURCHASE “BROKEN” HERE

PRE ORDER NIGHT TIME PEOPLE HERE

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Title track Night Time People is a sizzling tune with a groovy, big city sound. Auldist’s vocals are faster and she sings with a deeper croon; I especially enjoy her layered singing part around three minutes into the song. The song ends spectacularly with Auldist’s last repetition of “Night Time People” and an instrumental fizz.

Backfired features a snare drum and particularly smooth vocals with an extended tapering brass section. There is an awesome bluesy instrumental section around two minutes in to the song with a

Auldist has a distinctive modern soul voice that has received much critical acclaim – she has worked with international names such as UK DJ Marc Vedo and in 2016 toured extensively. While of course the focus of the instrumentally rich album is not exclusively on her voice, the instrumentals on songs like You Should’ve Been Mine beautifully complement her vocals. You Should’ve Been Mine is elevated by a light chiming sound effect and a seamless incorporation of strings and brass instruments.

San Junipero starts with a strong saxophone riff. It is the only instrumental song on the album; no words are necessary as the bold brass solos speak for themselves. If you’ve seen the Black Mirror episode of the same name, you might relate the song to the episode and hear some of the hopeful energy and rhythm of 1980s sexy jazz fusion in this song.

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The last three tracks are all the same instrumental song, Broken, but each one features a different rapper accompanying the chorus sung by Auldist. It is a brave and unusual decision, to blend The Bamboos’ funk-soul sound with the addition of rappers, but it pays off in dividends. Listeners get to enjoy the unique sound of three MCs from different corners of the globe, including Berliner Teesy who raps in German. Non-English speaking rappers have been gaining popularity globally in recent years, such as fellow German rapper Marteria, and Teensy’s rhymes may provide an insight to some people to a whole new world of music. Urthboy and J-Live also contribute their messages inspired by the life lessons they have learned.

It is not that The Bamboos ‘revive’ funk-soul as such, but they have contributed a rich body of music to the genre over the past decade. This album takes it one step further by enriching funk-soul with fresh additions of contemporary rap and a range of songs that borrow inspiration from many eras of soul, funk, jazz and blues.

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THE BAMBOOS

‘NIGHT TIME PEOPLE’

TOUR

Tickets here

Saturday, 4th August @ The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Friday, 10th August @ The Triffid, Brisbane
Saturday, 11th August @ Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Friday, 17th August @ Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Saturday, 18th August @ The Gov, Adelaide

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Follow THE BAMBOOS here:
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