The Derevolutions - Reinvent The Wheel 
Release Date: Out Now
Anyone compiling their album of the year lists better listen because the Derevolutions are making a late play with their latest LP, 'Reinvent The Wheel'. This genre-defying collection of vibes is an absolute delight full of creativity, restriction free songwriting and a real sense of seeing the world through kaleidoscope eyes. Opening track 'Hey Fool (Don't Get Cold)' is pic'n'mix of instrumentation from funky guitars and clattering drums to recorders (I think) and vocals that sway between B52s cool and Dandy Warhols indifference. 'Keep It Minimal' sounds like a hip-hop track but with Iggy Pop and Gorillaz on production duties while 'Cheetah' slinks and sways with 50s cool bouncing along on a piano melody but with late 90s aesthetics a la LEN or the Avalanches.
It's hard to keep up or get a grip on the Derevolutions, an enigmatic duo to say the least, but maybe that's the point, maybe you're supposed to let them get a grip on you. 'I Wanna Be A Gangsta' brings that hip-hop string sound to play again with a laid back beat while 'Best Day Ever' channels flower power through a 90s filter with some classical melodies brought in for a touch of class. The classical inspiration continues on 'Modern Day Beethoven' which mixes timeless piano with a hip-hop beat and the kind of vocals that will make your head spin if you're under the influence of anything stronger than coffee. Fortunately, 'I Love This Music' is a more innocent and playful melody (albeit nine minutes long) that only goes a little trippy and woozy towards the end.
By contrast, 'Revolutionary' is positively punk at less that three minutes in length but the layered vocals and vocoder effect still twist your melon. The mantra 'Get High and Listen To Music' is a summer anthem waiting to be adopted with the laid back acoustic strum given some purpose by the beat and the lyric "you've got to use it or lose it, get high and listen to music" is a t-shirt waiting to happen. As we hurtle chaotically towards the end of this collection, we get 'This To That' - a reggae inspired future disco bop - before 'The Dreamer' takes us on an odyssey from tribal chanting and Willy Wonka nightmare sounds to 70s guitar licks and a Tim Burton fairground soundtrack. The album finishes with 'Requiem For A Band' which brings together every influence to create the kind of song that should be sent out to far away galaxies to both educate them on our culture but also make them fear the sheer madness of human creativity. This albums makes absolutely no sense and is probably as outlandish (e.g. uncommercial) as execs perceived 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to be on first listen but it is, without doubt, the most original thing I have heard this year and absolutely perfect for immersing yourself in. Maybe with a herbal remedy or two.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/thederevolutions