Review: Twelve Caesars - Scenes From Wild Eyed Dreams (RamRockRed)

If you're familiar with the earlier singles, you'll have been dreaming about the release of the debut Twelves Caesars' album, 'Scene From Wild Eyed Dreams' for a while but it's finally here.

The cover looks a bit B-movie and the title sounds a bit prog but Andrew Pipe and Stephen Ennever (for they are Twelve Caesars) have pulled together 12 tracks of 'thumbs up' tunes to get ya rocks off to.

Kicking off with 'Swan Fendered Mercury' (I bet Peter Frampton had one) and the BBC 6 Music hit, 'Calfiornia Sleaze' (see review HERE).

But it's not all Americana folk rock Byrds/CS&N/Eagles as the 'prog' is represented by the the idea that there are 11 ways to get to/from the underworld and here some portals include US Civil Rights ('California Sleaze'), Tiananmen Square uprising ('When The Revolution Dies') and the fall of the Berlin Wall ('Fall Of The Berlin Wall').

It's quite tense, like 'City Of Angels' and 'Palestine Hotel', so in British terms, it's like a softer John Cale/Kevin Coyne (which is a good thing) and at it's most dramatic, 'The Human Race' gets almost Peter Hammill and ' 'When The Revolution Dies' it's a bit Billy Bragg (when he played with Ian McLagan - definitely a good thing).

You'd really want to see these guys live (especially, if they were playing with with their label mates, Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers - see review HERE) and be prepared for their next big hits, 'Ride The American Wave' and 'Eleven Ways From Hell'; choose one and get the album.

Artist: Twelve Caesars

Title: Scenes From Wild Eyed Dreams

Release date: 14th April, 2023

Label: Ramrock Red Records

Cat. No: RRRLP009

Review: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers - Can't Take The Fight (RamRock Red)

If you remember T.O.E's 'Say It Loud EP' you'll know the voice of Marcus Malone as it was he that was saying it loud and it was picked up on all by all the best radio stations, notably, the flag waving BBC 6 Music's Craig Charles' Funk & Soul Show.

At first listen my mind went to Prince / Sly Stone / Jess Roden and then it's a bit more go-go and then horneyTower Of Power and perhaps even Joe Walsh or Robert Palmer.

Whatever it's got, it's got the "Fight" for some serious funk and soul struttin'. 

So it's perhaps surprising that the guitar side of things in Dan Smith (formerly of the Noisettes; remember their 2009 album 'Wid Young Hearts' that was everywhere on the indie pages at the time) who has got together as a "Motor City Hustler" with Mr. Malone for a forthcoming LP of 60s R&B, Soul and "back to the future funk" called 'Interstate 75'.

These guys will be great live and at any summer festival and you can trust that the single and album is going to be heavily played this year.

Artist: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers

Title: Can't Take The Fight 

Release date: 10th March, 2023

Label: Ramrock Red Records

Cat. No: RRR

Format: Digital

Review: Stefano De Santis - Unreachable Galaxy EP (Ramrock Records)

It's been a while since we last caught up with Ramrock Records with thier 'Over Again' release by Mr Bird featuring Greg Blackman (see review HERE) but they have been on a roll ever since and their lastest, Unreachable Galaxy EP, is a monster of modern jazz-funk and more. 

Stefano De Santis is an Italian musician/composer/producer has a thing for all your favourite keyboards from Fender  Rhodes, piano, clavinet, Prophet 5, Moog, Solina String Ensemble, Juno 6 (so you know this is going to sound incredible already) and he does all the drum programming too!

He's definitely got his fingers on the keys when it comes to jazzy bruk dancefloor Lonnie/Herbie/Deodato inspired space funk; what more could anybody need? A four tracker that touches the jazz-funk dancer in all of us.   Particularly 'Cosmic Days' (with a nod to Azimuth 'disco') and 'Unreachable Galaxy' are a diggers dream (Ramrock Red Records having done the hard work for us in this case) and then merge all this (if you can imagine) and bring in the fashionable BRUK underground for 'Nova Laze' and 'Sick With Rhyme'.  

Totally Worldwide FM with usual suspect fans already like Gilles Peterson, Colin Curtis, Ashley Beedle, Kev Beadle etc. so expect to hear much more of these tracks soon.

Ramrock/ Ramrock Blue/ Ramrock Red · 01. Stefano De Santis - Unreachable Galaxy

Artist: Stefano De Santis

Title: Unreachable Galaxy EP

Release date: 28th October, 2022

Label: Ramrock Red Records Soundcloud.com/ramrockrecords

Cat. No: RRR034

Format: Digital