aaamusic | On 21, Aug 2011

Well, a quick google search revealed surprisingly little about Epigene, but for such a low-key band they are astonishingly prolific, with ‘A Wall Street Odyssey’ being an aptly-titled two-hour sprawl of a release.

And before you ask, yes there is psychedelic rock concept album afoot here. Right from the opener ‘Looks Like I Made It’, we’re presented with what sounds like Pink Floyd’s secret children. The wry narrative lyricism paints a vibrant life scene before the bassy pop-rock instruments start in earnest. A slow burner, but a goodie, reminiscent of many an opening credits sequence, or a long-lost space-age radio show as the synths solo away manically before a hook-heavy return of the guitars and lively percussion. The funk-toned psych-pop receives a heady electro shot on ‘Money Master’, a slickly-produced track that feels like a socio-political early ‘00s boyband song, with its simple yet effective melodies, smooth vocals and danceable nature, however it is also dogged by the slightly clinical, manufactured sound that comes with the territory, despite the witty lyrical turns dotted around. The Pink Floyd also returns with a trippy, plodding vengeance on ‘Losing Everything’, with its slow, psychedelic guitar and reverb on everything.

‘Take My Head Off’ injects some much-needed edge that finally allows the socio-political lyrics to shine. The drums skitter madly around a frantic bassline, both of which circle like vultures around a fast, anxious synth and swirling, anguished yet tasty chorus that finally gets the album interesting, as the vocals teeter between sardonic and psychopathic, however it is let down by the lukewarm techno pop of ‘Rabbit Hole’.

The country banjo twang of ‘Brother Take My Hand’ adds sonic dimension, but the lyrics are a bit lacklustre, and the whole affair seems to lack impact. Even for a narrative album, there needs to be a reason to keep listening, and to be brutally honest, there’s little to keep my attention by the eighth track, as Epigene move into pseudo-lounge music territory. Progressively pastoral over the next few tracks, ‘A Wall Street Odyssey’ merrily takes a Beatle-esque pop direction, but with little of the snappy wit or songwriting ability that made the Fab Four… fab, instead this comes across as anodyne and ultimately alienating due to the awkward style/substance clash. Admittedly, the orchestrated instruments of ‘Nature Spirits’ has its charm and even provides flashes of enjoyment, but getting this far in is an odyssey as of itself. The funky mischieviousness of ‘The Serpent Mound’ with its fluid melodies is even more tantalising, but such a flaccid buildup lets it down, as does the follower, a languishing indie pop blues track. Closing disc 1 is the hooky yet uninspiring twosome of ‘Sanctuary’ and ‘I’m Gonna Save The World’, bearing a psychedelic yet greyscale resemblance to Manic Street Preachers in their turgid radio chart friendly mode.

Disc 2 kicks off with cod-reggae whispers in ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’, but launch doesn’t quite go all the way unfortunately, and we hit the same rut the first disc’s closers had. Politics springs back in ‘Civilization & Globalisation’, but it gets hard to pay attention by this stage, and so the message is lost, and when it does become evident, it is trite and obvious despite a good heart.

 

I feel that to rabbit on much longer would be gratuitous on my part as much as Epigene’s. Okay, so there’s nothing distinctly awful about ‘A Wall Street Odyssey’ per se, in fact some moments can show flashes of a good band, however they are lost amid what can only be described as a poor man’s 60s concept album working for one of those regrettable television charity evenings. Overlong, over-moralistic and both bland and mildly irritating in its wholesome tedium. Politically minded listeners will want something smarter, narrative fans can easily find something more compelling, back-to-nature hippies have much more human outings to listen to.

 

Author: Katie H-Halinski