Chosen by Molly

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INTRO (from fivegrandstereo.com)

A darkly humorous and theatrical concept album (there’s even a Greek chorus) which tells a tale of two Irish musicians in London who encounter a strange world of sex, money and David Bowie impersonations.
Four-part harmonies, duelling guitars, raspy sax and above all, soaring melodies abound; classic artists like Marc Bolan, Bryan Ferry, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed and the Thin White Duke himself are frequently referenced sonically, but put through Five Grand Stereo’s proprietary blender to create some delightfully quirky results. Taking aim at everything from reality TV to sexism, the band somehow manage to conjure up the sounds of 75…to take a pop at today. All while bashing some instantly memorable tunes into your eardrums.
Five Grand Stereo are Chris Singleton (vocals, guitar, piano); Jane Fraser (vocals); Stelios Kalisperides (guitars); Michael Kirkland (sax and synths); Zane Maertens (bass) and Ben Woollacott (drums).
Five Grand Stereo released Sex and Money on 26 January 2018.

TRACK LISTING

REVIEWS

Mick – “I had never heard of Five Grand Stereo before. They a mad mix of other bands – I heard some ELO, The Dears, Jellyfish, Pugwash, The Divine Comedy, even some Blur (but I think that was the guy’s voice).
I have to say that was one of my favourites from Music Nights. I liked every song – an absolute pop music gem. Every song in its own way was catchy.
Favourites were hard to separate but loved 1975, David Bowie and Boots of Leather is great. Little sax toying with us half way through Clip Joint (Soho). Anyone Can Be a Star is very Divine Comedy. My favourite was either In Your Garage or Iceberg.
Brilliant all round Molly. Tip of the hat for me on this one, loved it.”

Sol – “That’s what Music Nights is all about – listening to new bands. Similar to Mick, I heard all different influences: the girl reminded me of Dolores in some songs (Mr Lighter in particular), and definitely Bowie and Beatles sounds throughout it.
It didn’t quite bowl me over from start to finish but certainly enjoyed listening to it all week long and the more I played it, the more I was picking up on little bits that I really liked.
Liked Anyone Can Be a Star, Mr Lighter, and In Your Garage was a great upbeat opener. My fav song is Clip Joint (Soho) – I’m not sure about any of you but the chorus reminds me of Ocean Colour Scene.
All in all, I enjoyed it and will definitely go back to them again.”

E.P. – “Didn’t grab me anywhere near as much as the lads. I found it a bit bland. Couple of nice tracks on there like In Your Garage and 1975, but I wouldn’t be rushing back to it.”

Spud – “Loved this album from start to finish. In Your Garage is a great opener and Anyone Can Be a Star is the perfect closer – it really gives the sense of a gig or party that you’ve really enjoyed coming to an end. The album hasn’t got any bangers but it’s consistent throughout with not a bad song on there. My favourite is probably Iceberg with an honorable mention to every other track. Would definitely like to see them live.”

★ Agree/disagree? Let us know in the comments below ★

SONGS ADDED TO THE MUSIC NIGHTS SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:

• In Your Garage
• Iceberg

NEXT WEEK…

King Kong Company by King Kong Company

Listen along with us for the week and check out our reviews next Sunday!