We all need to find a way to work together post-lockdown, “they” keep telling us. The music world has already shown how it might work, with projects like … The Blips.
“Supergroups” have blossomed with a plethora of collaborative music recorded, completed and/or released during the pandemic, from talents teaming up for a first or successive time – Umbrae Vitae, Killer Be Killed, Be Well, Ty Segall and Cory Hanson … you’ll have your own favourites. The point is that in such oppressively static times, many, many musicians have reached out to each other. Mostly positively, often persistently, sometimes better than others, of course. But always, always creatively, which after all is the name of the game.
The Blips, from Birmingham, Alabama, are a five-piece garage-y get-together initiated by Will Stewart (Timber, and others). The line-up also includes Taylor Hollingsworth (Dead Fingers, others too), Wes McDonald (Vulture Whale, etc), Eric Wallace (Bad Hops and more) and Chris McCauley (Holy Youth etc). Vocals, guitar and bass duties are shared, with McDonald on drums (that’s enough cut and pasting from the press release, Ed). This cool quintet enthusiastically offer up indie pop with an unchallenging but comfortably retro rock ’n’ roll sound, like Nick Lowe veering towards Brendan Benson via Wreckless Eric.
Things start unremarkably with a coupla “safe” tracks but then, third song in, Throw Me Around should wake you up properly with its nice bass intro and some feisty guitar. Wild Thing II sounds like Wild Thing, has a solo a bit like Wild Thing and is a sort of remake/sequel/reboot of Wild Thing. It’s like Wild Thing! If you wanna know for sure.
The lively guitar breaks hold the attention on the likes of Yes Yes No Yes Yes No, Same Do and Gold Rush, the latter’s Neil Young-esque riff reaching up to epic mountain tops. Same Do takes a Joy Division bassline for a meander before going nowhere particularly special.
When The Blips really click, it pops like sweet bubblegum and none of it totally sucks. The closing track of the 10, the propulsive One And Done, is probably best of all, the band right in the groove all the way to end of the trip and the dreamy, burbly fade away (Wilco, over and out).
The Blips, the debut album by The Blips, is out on April 9