Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Carefree times during an era of repression and conflict are to be savoured. It would of course better for all concerned if moments in history had not been under the jackboot of tyranny and the rule of fear, however out of such times comes a rebellion, the people fight back the only way they can, with a mood of enjoyment, of bliss and the ability to dance under the spotlight and raise a smile which infuriates those with no humour or soul in their body.
In a way it is almost as if oppression breeds anarchy, the feeling of escape one revels in when hugged around a camp fire and the open air delight of a song is tested against the drudgery of the nine to five and the serial procession of blank eyes and convicted ties, we somehow let loose, freedom allows the ability to be uplifted and for The Schmoozenbergs that freedom is energy driven, improvised compositions in a journey that culminates in their brand new album, Awaken.
The world of the instrumental is where you can live without the border and control that can come with the insistence of the lyric, a straightjacket perhaps of the formulated word that ties everything together in such a way that freedom is restricted. In this place of free-flowing thought and music, The Schmoozenbergs, Stan Stennett, Tom Brydon-Smith, Gina Griffin and Ron Phelan, have crafted a voyage of delight, a foot tapping whirl of expressive energy that captures the need for beauty in all its forms and the unseen delightful smile that recalls the positivity of good stimulated rousing.
Through instrumental moments such as Runaway, The Long Road, the excellence of Charmed Snake, The Black Rock and the album’s title track, Awaken, The Schmoozenbergs have bypassed the confining sound of the alarm clock that regulates from dawn to dusk and instead stirs the heavens to listen out of hours and against the backdrop of escapist charm.
A rabble-rousing album of pure delight, Awaken is the pulse you had forgotten existed.
The Schmoozenbergs release Awaken via Schmusic Records on June 21st.
Ian D. Hall