Bodinrocker – Special Blend
This is music for aficionados of hard rock with melody – Status Quo (definitely), & Germany’s Lucifer’s Friend (“Meet You In L.A.”). These bands had skill, originality, & creativity. This is what Bodinrocker has in abundance. Their well-applied stinging guitars are as addictive as a cold Coca-Cola with lemon.
This isn’t a 2nd-tier bunch of veteran musicians. They have balls, testosterone in their licks, & a kick in their percussion. Yes, they have that late-career Status Quo vocal timbre & never come across as tame; hard rock sweetened by decades of playing. Instead, they emulate the “sound” with the skill of a band that knows the genre, its limitations & its magic. Ah, it’s magic—the secret ingredient.
This 12-track rocker, Special Blend (Drops March 13/Bearman Music/49:04) was recorded in Sweden & produced by Lars Ekberg (keys/bgv) & Anders Bodin (guitars/lead & bgv). There are some parts of this R&R pudding that are laid on a bit thick & novelty-dipped (“Rock n’ Roll Star”), but their musical application is suave & their formality smooth. It simply sounds fun.
“Give Us Some Rock & Roll” is tightly woven & double stitched. Some may say it’s too much too late, but I beg to differ. You have to be dead not to want to dance to this band’s fever-pitch presentation. Bluejeaned butts will shimmy in the velour seats for sure.
Can they get serious? Yes. The title track “Special Blend” is more noirish, dark & despite the bite-sized fragments of mainstream music they toss in bits of hops & rye guitar notes & let the blend ferment. They have a formidable sound, razor-sharp guitar interactions like a West Side Story rumble. Have we forgotten how to dance on a rooftop beside the terra-cotta chimney pots or graffiti on dirty alley drain pipes? Hope not. Bodinrocker won’t let you forget.
Closer to a hook-laden hit is the superb locomotive-driven “Feel So Good.” This has a Pete Townshend (early Who) touch. The jab of guitars, steady drums, significant groove & mainstream juvenile charm works. “This Song Is For You” slips into a more Americana groove nicely. The showcase pins back ears with its power chords, notes & drive. What’s prominent is the music’s ability to provide a sensation in the leather Doc Marten feet, waxy teenage ears & the tap in tavern women’s red polished fingers.
This band has no shortage of ability.
Highlights – “No Blues Tonight,” “Rock n’ Roll Star,” “Give Us Some Rock and Roll,” “Special Blend,” “Feel So Good,” “Stream,” “We Were Young,” “This Song Is For You,” “What I Wanna Say” & “Ligger I Min Famn.”
Musicians – Anders Mossberg (bass/harmonica), Fredrik Wallumrod (drums), Gabriel Ekberg (mandolin) with backing vocals by Mikael, Love & Simon Bodin, Par Wickholm, Anders & Magnus Bengtsson.
Color image courtesy of Hemifran. CD @ Amazon + https://www.bodinrocker.se/ & https://www.hemifran.com/news/detail/u/2220/Bodinrocker/Special%20Blend/