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E S H E P H E R
D S B U S H E
N J O Y M E N T -
- r e v i e w s -
Here you can find reviews and general opinions regarding our
music.
Some in english and some in swedish.
- B U L L I N G D O N ' S L A S T S E C O N D R U M P U S -
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The review from MM - Musikermagasinet in sweden No 3 2006
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This Swedish duo's latest album
picks up where its last, Stereoactivity,
left off. The band still leans heavily on 70s progressive rock, blues rock
and psychedelia, but integrates its favorite styles even more seamlessly
than before. The pair's instrumental chops have gotten sharper, as has its
ability to fashion memorable melodies out of old parts—see the 20-minute
epic "Gamblers Award," in which interest never flags. Pretty damned
impressive.
Michael Toland
Editor-in-Chief
www.highbias.com
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Den här gruppen verkar gilla långa
saker, nja inte så som ni tror nu.
Långt namn på gruppen, långt namn på skivan och långa låtar,
den
kortaste på skivan är 5.11 och den längsta klockar in på 20.03. Visst
skulle man kunna göra det lätt för sig och säga att de är en kopia av
Soundtrack of our lives men så är det inte även om det finns många
drag av den gruppen i TSBE:s musik. Men jag tycker mig höra ett
ljud som Beatles hade på sina inspelningar i några av låtarna. Men
vad jag slås av och imponeras av är det psykedeliska soundet som
finns i deras låtar hela tiden, fantastiskt bra. De är bara två i
gruppen
men de låter som om de var ett tiotal för det är mycket ljud som
kommer ut ur mina högtalare. Kolla in för fan….(SJU) 2/3-05
SKRUTT
http://web.telia.com/~u31700523/skruttmain.htm
- S T E R E O A C T I V I T Y -
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Hi!
I listened to some Shepherds Bush Enjoyment mp3s from your website and I
was really blown away! The music is brilliant and I think It's a shame
that you don't have a record deal.
Matti Karhu,
Finland
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4/5
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Det här är skitbra, gubbajävlar!
Ja, osså ska man komma på en genre som passar dom så
att ni vet vad det är för musik det talas om. Då skulle jag
vilja kalla det här för heavy-psyk-acid-rock med pop-
influenser. Det är mycket Pink Floyd över det här, men
även band som Led Zeppelin, Blue Öyster Cult, The Doors
och andra gamla 60' och 70'tals band och en del folk-
influenser. Låtarna byggs upp efter hand. Dom börjar med
ett eller två instrument och sedan lägger dom på mer och
mer. Allteftersom dom byggs upp börjar det någonstans i
bakgrunden att avta. Tydligen kommer namnet från något
som Pete Townshend hade sagt någon gång. Det är två
killar som gör det här och det är helt klart godkänt. Skitbra!
Det var ett rent nöje att lyssna på det här. Underbart bra
skiva med mycket "heart and soul". På den här skivan har
dom gjort några tolkningar av andras låtar. En av dom är
Ace of spades med Motörhead, som låter som nån Tom
Waits-låt. Rätt coolt faktiskt. Vill också notera att dom letar
efter en trummis och en keyboardspelare. En mycket bra
skiva . Dom som tror sig gilla det här borde verkligen
kontakta gubbarna och köpa ett ex.
/Dölly
Mustafa zine #3
www.mustafazine.com
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Tjenare!
Jag kände bara att jag måste skriva ett par
rader till er
och försöka förklara hur mycket jag älskar er musik.
DET HÄR ÄR TAMEJFAN DET BÄSTA JAG HAR
HÖRT I HELA MITT LIV!!!!!! Låtarna är så äckligt
välproducerade att man har svårt att förstå att det är
gjort hemma på Cubase och inte i en proffisionell studio.
Alla instrument (från små, nästan omärkbara effekter till
feta overdrivade gitarrer) ligger perfekt.
Man kan lyssna på skivan precis hur många gånger
som
helst utan att tröttna. Dessutom måste jag berömma
texterna (många verkar ha missat dem enligt reviews;en
på hemsidan). Så fruktansvärt bra........
Lycka till !
PS. Tilläggas bör också att jag inte alls är
nåt stort fan av
Pink Floyd eller de andra banden ni hela tiden verkar bli
jämförda med. Men er musik krossar allt.
/Jonnie Hedkvist
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This is two young (?!) musicians who makes music
inspired by late 60's, early 70's bands like The Who,
The Doors, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Stones, Pretty
Things, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Hawkwind and many
more, the 70's progressive stuff for example. Their
weird name (The Shepherds Bush Enjoyment) comes
from something Pete Townshend once said.
Is this music that only imitates the music from that
blessed period. No!
Their compositions are rich , the breaks are many,
the feeling is there and it's really not far from the
70's progressive stuff. The songs are original but at
the same time near the roots.
The album begins with a long and loud organ-chord
and then the drums begins, followed by big guitar-
chords. A big soulful sound. The thoughts of
Hawkwind are not far away. The song "Abstract
Destract" takes us to Pink Floyds Pompeii, an arena
haunted by ghosts. A bit of Ray Manzarek and Jim
Morrison is there too. "Do Androids Dream Of
Electric Sheep" comes from the same Pink Floydish
Ummagumma-place, but this time with insperaiton
from King Crimsons "Red". The acoustic atmosphere
comes with two compositions. "Lake Acid" presents
a beautiful dialogue between acoustic guitar, tablas
and a background flute. And then there is the acoustic
bonustrack which is a coverversion of Motorheads
"Ace Of Spades" with the intro from Yes "Roundabout".
The coverversion of Serge Gainsbourgs "Sorry Angel" is
another bonus track. The album is self-produced (very
well too, I must add). If you are a producer/owner of a
record company, check this out. It's worth it!
This is a translation of the french (!?!) review by
Dominique Genin from the Belgian prog-magazine
Prog-Resiste. http://www.progresiste.com/
Keep in mind that the translation was a major pain in the
backside, so to speak. This is also not the whole review
(too much fluff in the beginning). For the original french
review, check this out: Prog-Resiste
Review
(Instead of giving us a hard time for not understanding
bloody french! You've heard the Serge Gainsbourg-cover!)
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King Crimson, Jethro Tull...The Shepherds
Bush
Enjoyment touches classic rock and progressive
styles in a unique way with tons of sounds coming
at you from all angles. It`s psychedelic, thick with
chords and slamming keyboards.
If you are into everything from Deep Purple to Led
Zeppelin to the Electric Prunes...Moody Blues, Blue
Oyster Cult...Alice Cooper...then this is the record
for you. The keyboard parts and one time changes
keep it interesting and the super tight musicianship.
They don`t just go for that 70`s retro sound either...
they really mix it up and have some pretty decent
changes. Obviously hugely classic rock influenced,
but it`s not just that.
Check it out if you are looking for something along
the lines of Bangtwister...it`s got a little of everything
that is from the best era of rock. Just keep in mind the
songs are longer than average, and take time to soak in.
Rob Wrong (StonerRock.com)
http://www.stonerrock.com
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Stereoactivity
(The Shepherds Bush Enjoyment)
A two-man rock act from Sweden, The Shepherds
Bush Enjoyment visits the early 70s for inspiration,
fusing elements of prog, psychedelia and bluesy
hard rock into a cohesive whole on its debut album
Stereoactivity. Bassist/flautist Sebastian F. Sorrow
(gee, think
that's a pseudonym?) and multi-
instrumentalist Fredrik Findahl use their encyclopedic
knowledge of 30-year-old rock music to create something
new in an old style. Despite the use of familiar elements-
phased vocals, distorted Hammond organ, lyrics derived
from science fiction and psychology—there's nothing
stale on this record; Findahl and Sorrow always make the
songs sound fresh. Opener "The Time Bandits" and
the
epic "Abstract Destract" sound old school, but the
classrooms
have young teachers. "Lake Acid" and "Do
Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?" add a Middle Eastern
influence, with Eastern scales and tables accenting the
psychedelic prog melodies. The closing "Gamblers Award"
lasts
for over 16 minutes of molten guitar, shifting time
signatures and dreamy tuneage, yet never gets boring.
The bonus tracks are a mixed blessing; the covers of Serge
Gainsbourg's "Sorry Angel" and Motörhead's "Ace
of
Spades" (as a menacing acoustic folk song, with an intro
lifted from Yes' "Roundabout") show imagination and
diverse influence, but sound
like another band entirely.
But that's a minor quibble. Sweden has been a particularly
fertile field for growing new music lately; The Shepherds
Bush Enjoyment add another bright blossom.
Michael Toland
http://www.highbias.com/
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Hi Fredrik,
Want to let you know that I received your disc in the
mail.Thanks! It's really good - great acid rock with a
nod to 60's psych classics. I will be adding songs to
the Weirdsville! webradio playlists today and be linking
to your website.
best regards,
erik amlee
Weirdsville! WebRadio: http://www.weirdsville.com
Mandragora Records: http://www.mandragora.com
PO Box 936 Northampton, MA 01061 USA
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This Swedish duo released their first self-financed
full-length album at New Years Eve 2001/2002. You
can notice progressive and psychedelic influences
in their music. The first track, "The Time Bandits"
reminds me of DarXtar with its pounding rock and
Hammonds. At times I hear some The Soundtrack
Of Our Lives. The Shepherds Bush Enjoyment is
more progressive than their fellow countrymen,
though. Some of the songs have a lot of interesting,
different parts. This is still retro rock.
Other clear influences are The Doors (listen to
"Abstract Destract"!) Pink Floyd, King Crimson,
Deep Purple, Gentle Giant (especially the vocal parts)
etc. The beginning of "Gamblers Award" even sounds
very much like Finnish Circle! "Lake Acid" is a nice
acoustic folk instrumental: only the sitar is missing…
As a total Philip K. Dick freak I just have to mention
the heavy "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?"
as well. There are a couple of covers as bonus tracks.
The more interesting of these is an acoustic version of
Motörhead’s "Ace Of Spades"… And they even stole
a part of Yes as an intro!?
Stereoactivity is a very interesting album, and it has
been spinning in my CD player quite a lot. The songs
are diverse, playing is good, and you won’t get bored
very soon. There are a lot of slower, heavier parts,
lighter prog bits and everything in between. There are
rather long tracks on this album, the longest being
16.05. If I really try to figure out some improvements,
I think that sometimes they might concentrate a bit
more on arranging the songs to make them more solid.
The guitar, synth and flute solos might also be more
intensive.
I think they could use another singer (female?), and maybe
a couple of other new members as well. I’m really looking
forward for their next release that should be out during the
summer. More info and MP3’s can be found at:
http://w1.223.telia.com/~u22306043/.
DarkSanttu
http://hop.to/darksun
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It was a great record. See my review at:
www.aural-innovations.com (issue
19-latest).
Thanks for the material. A very cool psych CD.
Scott
This is a two person project by two Swedish men
named Fredrik Findahl and Sebastian F. Sorrow.
This ten track CD is real mixture of stuff, from Space
and psychedelic rock with a real 60s influence
to more acoustic rock numbers. The Time Bandits is
a organ driven hard rocking song with some great
psychedelic rock elements. Blues in Technicolor is a
raw 60's style hard rock number, which goes off
into psychedelic rock once again. Abstract Destract
flows out of the end of the previous song and is an
excellent Doors inspired song. I was very impressed
with these numbers but then the band seem to try out
a kind of commercial rock song, Cry All The Way To
The Bank. I really didn't care for it. Lake Acid is a
very nice acoustic and tabla drum number. Do Androids
Dream of Electric Sheep is a great long Pink Floyd
inspired space rock number with some nice floating
sections. Gamblers Award is another long track with an
end section highly inspired by One of These Days by
Pink Floyd with the slide guitar. A very promising new
recording outfit. The CD has two bonus tracks (Sorry
Angel and Ace of Spades) which were clearly band
experiments and didn't really fit with the concept and
energy of the regular CD. The Acoustic version
of Ace of Spades by Motorhead is quite special.
From Aural Innovations #19 (April 2002)
www.aural-innovations.com
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The Shepherds Bush Enjoyment are two swedish
lads who are doing it all themselves; all from the
songwriting (most of the songs except some covers),
performance, singing, producing to the making of
the CD cover design. The music is quite heavy,
sometimes lurking in Deep Purple-country, with
energetic organs, guitars and with a very up-in-
the-face-kind-of sound that amplifies the intensity
of the music.
In the song "Abstract Destract" they sound like The
Doors, both in composition and performance.Halfway
through the song they make a turn into heavy 70's
progressive music and then in the endof the song
they return to the 60's again.The song"Cry All The
Way To The Bank" is alomst in britpop-mood, while
"Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep" sometimes
sound like something from Ummagumma (Pink Floyd)
or Red (King Crimson).
Tarkus Magazine.
http://www.tarkus.org/
(The original review is in norweigan and this is a translation
attempt made by The Shepherds. For the whole norwegian
review, buy Tarkus magazine 20.)
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Ett mycket talangfullt band med starka låtar som
drar åt både progressive och psychedelia. I Sverige
är det dåligt med psyche band, fåtal är välkända.
Det mest kända är The Soundtrack Of Our Lives
har satt sina spår i The Sheperds Bush Enjoyment
det hörs. Även gammal klassisk progressive rock
som Yes och King Crimson kan man höra har gjort
inslagskraft i The Shepards Bush Enjoyment
skapande.
Melodierna sitter klockrent, och musiken träffar
som en välriktad kula i bröstkorgen. För det är trots
där allt kommer ifrån, hjärtat, kärleken till musiken.
Och det hörs att The Shepards Bush Enjoyment
älskar att spela musik. Synd att man inte har ett
skivbolag, då skulle jag signa detta band direkt.
Nisse
Stonerplanet.com
http://www.stonerplanet.com/
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Tjena!
Jag var inne på demoteket.nu och lyssnade på era
låtar, och jag måste säga att jag är djupt imponerad.
Jag brukar själv inte gilla att bli jämförd med andra
band, men jag tror nog inte ni tar illa upp om jag säger
att Do Androids... är i klass med The Wall.
Jonatan Crafoord
http://crafoord.borgarbracka.com/ (mitt
band)
http://crafoord.borgarbracka.com/jonatan/
(jag själv)
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Hi Fredrik!!!
Thanx for your beautiful cd, it's really wonderful, I've heard
the strangebut marvellous "Ace" cover (with "roundabout"
intro, wow!!!) and the first and second tracks, wow! It
reminds me acid California, Pink Floyd and Purple in acid,
Hawkwind, very beautiful and creative!!! I didn't know it's
a demo, I thought was an album...it's very good!!!
Donato, Italy
Progmagazine
http://utenti.tripod.it/clickman70/progmagazine.htm
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Hej!
Thanks for sending us your material. It was a very cool
CD. I really liked some of the stuff a lot.
Scott, Burnt Hippie
http://www.burnthippie.dk/
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Denna grupp skrev in på min gästbok och på detta sätt
upptäckte jag gruppen. Ganska trevlig psykedelisk musik
med 60-talsstil. Jag tänker i och för sig på ett poppigare
Kinks i Cry all the way to the bank. Men annars är det
nog det lite mer psykedeliska de är inne på. Union
Carbide(tidiga) är ett av de band som man kan relatera
till också. De kör en bonus låt i och med Motörheads
Ace of Spades som de gör riktigt bra.
This group was writing in my guestbook and in that way
I noticed the group. Really nice psychedelia in real 60´s
style. I can hear Kinks and a poppier sound in Crying all
the way to the bank. But otherwise they´re really into the
more psychedleic style and I can say early Union Carbide
as a band to comapre them to. They do a bonussong and
that´s Motörheads Ace of Spades which they´re doing
really good.
http://www.surf.to/skrutt
SKRUTT
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Hej Fredrik!
Tack för plattan! Vi har lyssnat igenom den och tycker
den är mycket bra. Redaktör Grundberg blev speciellt
förtjust i alla King Crimson-influenser. Hoppas det
lyckas för er! Musiken kanske är lite smal, men det
borde finnas tillräckligt många musikintresserade, som
kan ta till sig detta, tycker man.
Hälsningar
gunnar e
--
Gunnar E Olsson
chefred/ed-in-chief MM
MusikerMagasinet
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Hi! Quick note to let you know that I *finally* received
the CD. thanks for sending it. I dig the sounds- some
nice psych tracks w/ a prog influence. Really like Time
Bandits, Do Androids Dream..., & Gamblers Award. I'll
definitely feature tracks on upcoming shows.
Regards,
Arnie
"Plastic Tales From The Marshmallow Dimention"
A weekly dose of Psychedelia, Garage, Mod, and
more, airing on WNYU-89.1FM in New York, and
worldwide live on the Internet, Mondays
9:00PM-10:30PM U.S. Eastern Time
Website: http://www.wnyu.org/plastictales/
(playlists, links, audio archives,...)
Listen Live: http://www.wnyu.org/listen.html
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I got a chance to listen to your mp3s and they are
cool. Feel free to send us a copy of your CD.
Mandragora Records:
http://www.mandragora.com
http://www.psychedelicnoise.com
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