Band: Mama Rosin
Release: ‘Bye Bye Bayou’
Release Date: Out Now
As Switzerland and Louisiana have completely different lifestyles and music vibes – for example Switzerland has raclette and Louisiana has fried chicken – the Swiss trio Mama Rosin bring together the clash of the two and create a punk rock blues album with ‘Bye Bye Bayou’. The band mix their sunny groove to a dark alleyway punk brought by legendary producer Jon Spencer, who encountered Mama Rosin while on their European tour supporting Blues Explosion. The pair went on to recording at the Hed Analog Studios in New York City and deliver this 14-tracks album.
The album starts with the groovy, getting the party started track, ‘Marilou’. As the band offer a source of Louisiana and Swiss sounds, it is not surprising to have a mix of French and English lyrics. Typical to blues music, the lyrics deal with women, and a particular young woman who shouldn’t grow up too fast. Without offering any elements of punk or rock and being a bit cheesy, the second song of the record, ‘Sorry Ti Monde’ delivers in a more in-depth way the mix of groove and punk. The drums are more angry, the electric guitar used as its rock purpose and the singer’s voice hints at the tongue-rolling of John Lydon.
The track is quick, and amplifies a carefree thinking with a “whatever” motto – offering the idea of the swamp damp party groove in a basement with a feeling of “live like you’re going to die tomorrow”. The atmosphere goes a bit down with the next track, ‘Paraît qu’y a pas l’temps’. The late summer night track turns into the folk sounds of festivals and holidays, with a use of French slang as lyrics, playing with different tones of screaming and shouting. The video also recalls of childish, fun games and again, this carefree thinking.
‘Casse Mes Objets (You Broke My Stuff)’ brings back the punk-ish meets blues vibe with another fast track where it might be preferable for English speaking people not to understand the French lyrics which just do not make sense. ‘Wivenhoe’ stars a bad voice change from the singer, sounding awkward, with a mix of African sounds and European folk. Ultimately this makes it an uncomfortable listen. The awkward feeling couldn’t get stronger with the next song, ‘Black Samedi’. Although the music gets better with a mix of progressive rock and accordion, the lyrics and voice of the singer are still uncomfortable and come out as pretentious. And when ‘Mama Don’t’ brings a real blues meets rock sound and current music vibes, the album comes out at a new level. A more nostalgic tone; some real music that sounds as it should.
‘Seco e Molhado’ is another nostalgic and dark sounding track with the real blues feeling. The bass guitar sound is omnipresent, giving it its chilled atmosphere and bringing you back in time. ‘Bye Bye Birdy Black (Part 2)’ is a punk rockabilly anthem, keeping your party going. ‘Assis Sur Le Sommet Du Monde’ is the only non original track of the record; being reinvented and now French-y, the song used to be ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’. The cover is well performed, with its tribal drums and the Mama Rosin type sound. ‘I Don’t Feel At Home’ is yet another folk sounding track, with a return of the pretentious mix of French and English as lyric’s choice. ‘Où Est Passé Arthur Lyman’, a 31 seconds track is as disturbing as some of the other full-length songs of the album. The final track, ‘Story Of Love And Hate’, is a chilled, uneventful songs with another set of non-sensical lyrics.
Mama Rosin describe this new album as somehow reflecting how their music has been evolving and growing but the album proves a certain feeling of loosing control on what is expected from them and the music they want to make. Although the album does recall the mix of Louisiana groove and punk rock sounds, for some songs, the other half of the album sounds like the need to mix Swiss-French and English at all cost. The result is nonsensical lyrics and pretentious undertones. ‘Bye Bye Bayou‘ is an awkward album, generating a need to think about the music and try to understand it when you should just be enjoying and listening to it.
4/10
Reviewer: Alice Quintana
