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The Embrooks — We Who Are
(State THSLP-006, 2018, LP)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2019-04-30

We Who Are Cover art

Founded in 1996, The Embrooks is an aggressive freakbeat band from England. They’ve released a couple of singles and, after a ten year hiatus, they are back with a full length album, We Who Are. The Embrooks are the trio of Mole (bass guitar and vocals), Alessandro Cozzi-Lepri (lead guitar and vocals), and Lois Tozer (drums) who is also a member of Thee Jezebels. Clocking in at about 36 minutes, the 12 tracks are the typical duration of the 60s garage beat songs they emulate. Their music mixes jangling guitars, aggressive drumming, a bit of blues now and then, strong bass, and shouted vocals. They skate back and forth across “the pond,” alternating between Brit psych pop and West Coast psych. I hear elements of Love and The Byrds on “Don’t Look at Me,” “Til Tomorrow,” and “I’m Coming Home.” Then there is “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” that flirts with early Who, Brit psych pop, and Spanky and Our Gang’s “Sunday Will Never Be the Same.” They also sound pre-punk on “NIghtmare” and “Riot on Kingsland Road.” The Embrooks are a freak garage beat band with attitude, so much so that the volume level is constant across the album, which does tend to wear on your hearing. So the best way to enjoy their music is to take it in small doses. Then you can appreciate their talent and some of the differences they throw in such as the surf guitar on “Baby from the South,” the trippy Black Angels like performance on “Peace of Mind,” and the funky organ on “Hang Up.” We Who Are is sure to please all fans of neo-freakbeat music.

Filed under: New releases, 2018 releases

Related artist(s): The Embrooks

 

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