ABOUT THIS ITEM

After Years, this vinyl-wielding four-piece originating from Brighton - the one and only Soft Rocks - have finally committed their collective wit to a slew of original tunes. Their debut album, "The Curse of Soft Rock"s is without-a-doubt a departure from the current musical climate. In an age where any laptop-savvy poseur can upload their bland nu-disco or faux-Chi-house directly to a cesspool of digitally downloadable fodder, it is more than refreshing to hear this cheeky bunch blending a mixed bag of instrumentation and obscure influences so recklessly.

Anyone with a penchant for the cross-cultural melting pot that was the late 70s / early 80s will be impressed by the scope of the album and pulled in by its charms. Opening punky dub monster “We Hunt Buffalo Now” (featuring Patrick Cowley's vocalist of choice Jorge Socarrass) sounds part PIL, part On-U Sound, part Can, while "Obo" comes across like a long-lost Balearic-friendly krautrock gem. Featuring echo-laden muted horn and the vocals of Nesreen Shah "Thunder Thunder" is a sublime piece of Compass Point obscurity which dissolves into the proto-new beat electro chug of "Slowdown". Socarrass returns on the disco-not-disco "Magic Milk" and cheesy Mediterranean Balearic plodder "Mirador De Las Estrellas", while Shah is back for the dreamy "Air" and twisted "Little Lights". Steel drums take centre stage on tropical disco groover "Talking Jungle". The album closes with "Wicker Man", a heartstring-pulling concoction of steel pans strings, upright bass and a touch of Kathy Diamond.

1. We Hunt Buffalo Now
2. Obo
3. Thunder Thunder
4. Slowdown
5. Magic Milk
6. Air
7. Talking Jungle
8. Mirador De Las Estrellas
9. 200 Satsumas
10. Little Lights
11. Wicker Man