Bobby's Place is the latest album by Chicago based theatrical musician Bobby Conn, who this time around is joined by Monica Bou Bou, DJ Le Deuce, Michael Zerang, Constance Volk, Airan Wright, Josh Johannpeter, Jim "Dallas" Cooper, Devin Davis and Billie Howard the album was mixed by Cooper Crain from Bitchin Bajas, whose new album Inland See I will be reviewing in a few weeks' time.
Side A opens with Jay & Bee that feels almost like cartoon soundtrack music gone industrial, with a tribal beat and computerized tin can noises and other odd elements, before it shifts with the arrival of the strings, countering what the percussion is doing in intriguing ways.
Wretched has odd long tonal noises with bells and woodwind adornments on the long descent to the most Wretched of places, where every political pronouncement automatically becomes reality, the strings float against the deep drums discordance from reality, mutating through the unreality towards a less Wretched existence, tuned into Indian mantra principals, re-arranging our ways of being, with a challenging narration arriving just as the music distorts even more.
All For You has a hazy easy listening pop feel, that you'll be singing along with before any of the vocals sound like actual words, electronic beats come in transforming this into a dancefloor sensation, that has several building episodes to really get you grooving across the dance floor, before they insist the jam is over and no one has booby trapped anyone else's shoes this time.
Side One opens with Bobby's Place sounds like the theme tune to a sappy American soap opera/situation comedy, they list all the things that happen at Bobby's Place like it's the 21st century version of Cheers, they even boast the place has a toilet, yep all mod cons and cheap ciggies, they will get you joining in with the chorus in no time at all.
Never Felt Better no you really haven't, get ready for a mass sing along with the driving keyboards and insistent riff, of this almost Rocky Horror Picture Show outtake, we all sing I'm alright Never Felt Better with them, while celebrating Bobby's return with some spry violin action.
Juicy Goons have all signed up to fight against ICE, because they want to live the trash lifestyle, really having a great time, like the Juicy Goons they are, giving off the air of someone who wants to touch you in the juiciest of places.
Sixties Babies reworks the Demolition 23 classic Nothings Alright, while asking more questions than they have answers for, in the same way the Demolition 23 song should have been a huge hit, this has similar potential, even if it's more out on a limb.
Nostalgia claims you might have heard this before, well maybe if it was stolen from Bugsy Malone and re-arranged in delightfully post-modern ways, I do hope they all have on chalk stripe suits for the video for this song.
The album closes with Satisfied doesn't have the driving dirty blues intent of Miraculous Mules song of the same name, this has more of an off the wall, soul disco take, on just what it is that makes you totally Satisfied, that may be oddly out of sync violins and guitars that work in mysterious ways to make this rather infectious.
Find out more at https://shop.tapeterecords.com/bobby-conn-bobby-s-place-4364 https://bobbyconn.bandcamp.com/album/bobbys-place-side-a https://bobbyconn.bandcamp.com/album/bobbys-place-side-one https://www.facebook.com/thebobbyconn
