Bushman’s Revenge

Jitterbug

Rune Grammophon

Even Helle Hermansen - Guitar
Rune Nergaard - Bass
Gard Nilssen - Drums, percussion
St?le Storl?kken - Organ (two tracks)

This second album by the chilli-sauce inspired outfit is a bit of a disappointment. I gave last years effort, “You Lost Me At Hello”, three stars in the expectation that the next would surpass it. It seems they should have held off a bit before going back into the studio. The range and diversity of the earlier disc has been watered down into relatively pedestrian derivations of their main blues-based classic rock and power-jazz influences. Let’s run through the tracks in sequence:

1.” Always In Motion The Future Is “does not, for me, quite justify the evocation of the wisdom of Yoda. It kicks the ball off by emulating a ?70s power rock outfit such as Bad Company, but gradually builds to a guitar-wrangling wigout.

2: “Kill Your Jitterbug Darlings” has some of the post-punk energy of The Skids on form, but gradually builds to another guitar-wrangling wigout. Guest organist St?le Storl?kken makes his first of two appearances, and the ways in which he injects astringent organ vibes into the trio’s core dynamics, adds textural richness, and eases off subtly in support of Hermansen are superbly judged.

3. “While My Guitar Gently Breaks” dramatically lowers the tempo. The textures of Storl?kken’s organ enhance some lazy blues-inflected meanderings.

4. “Too Old To Die Young”, a Gard Nilssen composition, takes the tempo down further for Hermansen to prove that delicacy isn’t beyond his capabilities with some filigree guitar soloing.

5. “Wind And Fire2 is a fairly uneventful, though pleasant-enough mid-tempo number based on a repeated motif.

6. “Professor Chaos” takes a very similar motif to that of “Wind and Fire” but stokes it up for a climactic conflagration which, however, never loses sight of its roots. One of the more convincing performances.

7. “Damage Case”. Bushman’s are obviously true Mot?rheadbangers. Their last album payed oblique homage to Lemmy’s troopers with their allusive track title “No Sleep To Hammerfest”. Now they give us a more-or-less faithful romp through this “Overkill” classic. For reasons unfathomable the Bushman’s rendition is subtitled “Happy Go Lucky Karaoke Version”, though thankfully it doesn’t stoop to travesty the original (as Primal Scream’s dismal “Motorhead” did a few years ago; the subtitle would have been more appropriate there), but rather stays true to the gritty rock-n-roll of the original. It’s all rather pointless but, writing as someone who couldn’t wait to get their sticky fingers on a fresh copy of “Overkill” on vomit-coloured vinyl back in ‘79, it’s good, finally, to hear a decent Motorhead cover version.

8.  “Personal Poltergeist” initially repeats the dynamic contrast trick of “Too Old To Die Young”, and again it is rather lovely. I wouldn’t mind hearing a whole album along these lines; but the track soon builds to a predictable crescendo and I lose interest along the way.

9. “Waltz For My Good Man” is a tastefully becalmed saunter to the close through the long grass with hints of Fleetwood Mac. Again, there’s some lovely, delicate guitar playing here, I could just imagine the latter day Bill Frisell happily chiming in. Now there’s an idea.

Leaving aside those lovely moments of delicacy from Hermansen’s guitar, I’m mostly left cold by “Jitterbug”. Nilssen and Nergaard sound uninspired throughout. Perhaps the group wanted to make a more mature version of their last effort, and perhaps they’ve succeeded in some respects; in doing so they make “Jitterbug” staid, and sounding too often like a promo for future session contracts rather than the inspired work of musical creation of which they are more than able. It’s all very proficient but rather second-hand. “Kill Your Jitterbug Darlings” shows what the group is capable of. They can do much better next time.

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