Album Review

The Response Collective –

• 18th Feb 2008

Treating us to an all too short musical buffet with their opening, self explanatory titled track ‘7 Song 3 Minute Mix’, The Response Collective (TRC) offer up a fleeting taster of each of the many flavours that make up their Gorillaz/George Benson/Andy Smith sound.

They’re a 3 piece band (Russell Leak: guitars & programming, Selina Gibsone: bass & keyboards and Fireproof Scratch Duck on the decks) that make the music with their masterful mitts instead of sequencers, samplers and all that jazz.

Yes, they’re a bit like Cinematic Orchestra in that aspect but, they undeniably go about their business with more underlying attitude and diversity. Effortlessly melding, shuffling and shifting from jazz guitar, hip hop beats and wicky wicky wylin’ at a pace that suitably moves along with laid back laziness one moment and dance floor urgency the next, it’s all enough to engage our ever intrigued ears for hours on end.

Maintaining a key that your skeleton simply resonates to and causes your feet to tap, your head to nod and perhaps most importantly, your mouth to smile. Play it quiet whilst eating you evening meal or crank it up for your neighbours (that you didn’t invite to your barbecue) to complain about. Whatever you choose to do, you should certainly involve hearing TRC in you decision.