By Jonny Bakes
They say you should never judge an album by its cover… well they actually say that about books, but I think the same thing applies here. Sometimes though, you catch sight of an album cover and it instantly piques your curiosity, while also giving a pretty clear idea of what lies in wait for you – ‘Cyberfunk’ is a perfect example of this.
Just look at this album cover! The longer I look at it, the more things I notice. The giant eye, the sequined shirt, the cassette in one hand, joint in the other, the overtly colourful background. It’s like something born out of a pretty wild acid trip – looks like we’re in for a bit of a psychedelic album! But not just any psychedelic album, this is some turbocharged, groovalicious stoner/psychedelia.
Mother’s Cake draw their influences from across the decades to produce this eclectic album. You’ll hear traces of The Beatles (before they became pop staples) and Pink Floyd through to modern up-beat stoner rock and even some heavy 70s funky disco vibes. If it’s had a major impact on music over the last six decades, then there’s a chance you’ll notice a nod to it somewhere on this album. Whilst being a very respectable album, it also feels like it could be considered a brief history of music as well!
There’s a hell of a variety to the tracks on ‘Cyberfunk’ that’ll cover most moods that you could think of. Which means that this is one of those albums that could quite easily have each track listened to in isolation, which allows it to penetrate its way into your music library more effectively. If you’re feeling chilled out, ‘Cyberfunk’ can manage that. If you have a sudden urge to strut your funky stuff, it can manage that too. Feeling a bit deflated and need something upbeat to give you a boost? You guessed it, ‘Cyberfunk’ can do that too.
Take ‘Hit On Your Girl’ for example. This is a seriously infectious dance number that reminds me of one of my favourite groups, Earth, Wind and Fire (yes, seriously). This is something I really didn’t expect so I was a little bit blindsided by it, which is perhaps why it stands out so much. The bass riff sounds like it’s been lifted straight out of the ’70s to be dropped into this album and maybe even the rest of the grooves too.
But on the other end of the spectrum there’s ‘Cybernova’, which is far more chilled out and psychedelic. In fact, as soon as this started, I was instantly reminded of ‘Sheep’ by Pink Floyd. There’s a constant pulsing in the background of odd smatterings of guitar licks, choral solos, chimes, and other such disjointed sounds. Eventually these build to a crescendo that leads immediately into the aforementioned ‘Hit On Your Girl’.
Overall, this is an impressive album that will not get stale quickly. There’s plenty here for fans of classic psychedelic rock, but also for fans of the likes of Wolfmother and Royal Blood too. Similar to the album cover itself, the more I listen to this album, the more things that I notice. Sometimes it’s just a group of notes that sounds like it could be a nod at some other musical great, or maybe I’m reading too much into it? Either way, prepare yourself for a whistle-stop tour of the history of unconstrained music, in the words of Funkadelic – “Free your mind, and your ass will follow”.
- ‘Cyberfunk’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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