A transatlantic meeting of the minds has produced some great music!
After a six year break, Professor And The Madman return with a new album. The quartet are comprised of Sean Elliott and Alfie Agnew – both formerly with D.I. – plus Rat Scabies and Paul Gray – the rhythmic soul of The Damned. They’ve finally found the time to hit the record button on their fifth studio album following 2020’s ‘Seance’. The results are the 11 songs that make ‘Dreamworld’.
Elliott sees the album as a “Song cycle, providing escape – even if briefly – from the daily chaos. Modern life is fueled by anxiety, and most of these songs express that.”
The band usually record remotely; with Elliot and Agnew based in California, and Scabies and Gray being in England, it’s easier than trying to get them all together in one place. However, this time they did manage to get together, convening at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London for a day of recording, something that proved to have a moving effect on Alfie and Sean – such being the storied renown and historical reputation the studio has.
The opening track, ‘Dreamworld’, opens with 60’s style piano; think Small Faces or Beach Boys. There’s a wistful sound to the vocal as if disconnected from the singer, the words floating over the music, perfectly suiting the words. The playfulness of the tune contrasts with the paranoid insecurity of the lyrics. They give way to a layered vocalising, again underlying the Sixties feel, that slightly psychedelic, trippy vibe, before an abrupt ending. A playful way to open the album.
‘Tolerant World’ opens with hard-edged guitar, garage band style. It’s a steady rocker, Gray’s bass being set free to roam the fretboard in typical style. There’s a light, poppy sensibility at play with layered harmonies, a piano break, and chord changes seemingly transported from 1965. It shows the strong connection between Elliott and Agnew as a songwriting pair.
Another change of pace and we’re in ‘A Brand New World’. There’s an almost show-tune feel to this track, as if it’s been lifted from a 1970’s musical. Again there’s a whimsical feel to the music, swirling synth strings, trumpet, as if George Martin had popped into the studio and offered some helpful advice.
The fourth track, ‘Mental Tape’, throws you a real curve ball. Starting with a bossa nova, lounge bar cabaret grove, a slightly strained vocal (think small-time casino house band), and you almost feel you’re on a serious tangent. About a minute in though, the guitar kicks in and we return to that wonderful 60’s pop sensibility, the twin vocals blending together, a guitar break that fills out the depth of the tune. The backing harmonies gently carry the song out as it fades away.
‘The Light’ won my heart with the line “Who took the curve out of your smile”. This is a slower tempo song that holds both sorrow and light in its construction. A lament to the suffering of another, this is a beautifully touching song carried by a light guitar refrain and a lyric that feels both sad and supportive. Another very well constructed song, again using harmony and texture in a balanced way reminiscent of The Kinks. Joyous.
The first single from the album, ‘12 Strings and Tambourines’, returns us to that psychedelic feel. Gray’s bass is prominent, rolling menacingly complimented by Scabies drumming, the lightness of the guitar dancing in contrast. The use of reverse tapes and an almost sitar sound add another layer of acid-soaked feeling to the song.
‘Adams Street’ opens with some rather nifty guitar before we are welcomed to a very Beach Boys feeling piece of understatement. The vocal roving, the guitar sprightly before the drums really kick in and a far heavier direction is charted. This showcases the bands ability to mix various styles into one coherent tune. It rolls along, the last couple of minutes are just instrumental, expansively carrying you with them. It’s a song that feels shorter than it is purely because it’s that enjoyable.
‘Nuclear Boy’ has a much more contemporary feel to it; a lively rocker of a song with some nice softer interludes. The guitar, once again, adding light and texture, bringing the joy, and the bass and drums providing the raw energy. The middle of the song gives way to piano adding more light without losing the energy built from the beginning. There’s a more pop/punk feel than the sixties influence of the previous tracks, yet it doesn’t sit out of place.
‘Songs In My Head’ sees Elliott and Agnew duet on vocals, a slower tempo song carried by a poignant piano, Elliott bringing a haunted trumpet to the mix. There are levels of sadness to this one, of longing and self doubt, of love and fear. It’s a moving tune, delivered perfectly, that does leave you wondering what happens after it finishes, and maybe that’s not a bad way of doing it.
‘Temple of Madness’ starts off as low down and dirty rock music, raw and heavy, with drums hit with such fury you wonder if they ever recovered. It’s a brutal opening, magnificently heavy. However, as they’ve shown before, Professor And The Madman are not afraid to change direction in a song; slowing things down, casually throwing in a little bit of Maurice Ravel’s 1928 classical work, ‘Bolero’ into the mix, because, well why not? And it works, because they make it work. The song returns to its heavy roots to see it home, the madness reflected in the overlays of sounds, a windswept maelstrom culminating in an abrupt ending.
The album closes with a short reprise of ‘Dreamworld’, its joyous vocalising a pleasant reminder of the start of this musical journey. Professor And The Madman may not spend much time in each other’s company but there is a musical chemistry and tightness about the band. Agnew walked away from the punk scene because he felt “boxed in by the scene’s strict orthodoxy”; he forged an academic career, but always wanted to expand his musical output. ‘Dreamworld’ is testament to that desire, with an old friend as collaborator, a punk legend they met at a party on the drums and the finest bass player Essex has produced, the Professor has managed to to produce some sanity with his madmen.
‘Dreamworld’ is released on 7th August via FullerTone Records – pre-order it HERE.
- Dreamworld
- Tolerant World
- Brand New World
- Mental Tape
- The Light
- 12 Strings And Tambourines
- Adams Street
- Nuclear Boy
- Songs In My Head
- Temple Of Madness
- Dreamworld (Reprise)
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Heavily influenced by an older brother, I discovered a love of music at an early age, initially with Punk but eventually with pretty much everything. I play guitar and bass to a very low standard and regularly ‘entertain’ my family and dogs with unwanted noise. I am usually found at the back of both gigs and football matches!
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