Saiphon - New Man 
Release Date: Out Now
I don't know a lot about West Sussex and, having looked at a map I'm not even sure I've ever been there, but I have to say that this debut album from Saiphon has certainly put the area on the map. I've enjoyed covering the singles that preceded the album so much that I was hotly anticipating this debut long player but 'New Man' has exceeded even my expectations. The album opens with the title track, a slow burning rock'n'roll track that announces its arrival with thudding drums and dirty guitars letting you know that Led Zep have featured at some stage in the band's musical education. The guitars kick up a notch on 'One Way Ticket To Nowhere' with a punk ferocity that is part Stooges and part Jet but with a British tinge and a wildly raw, scratchy and energising guitar solo.
Now, Saiphon aren't just your straight up rock band, they have a penchant for the dramatic and semi-theatrical as 'Sleep At Night (Intro)' shows with a swirling and, some might say, noodling guitar solo ringing out into the night. This is all just a prelude to superb recent single 'If It Helps You Sleep At Night', a blistering rock onslaught with chunky riffs, screeching vocals and the kind of energy that makes you want to ride out of your life on a hog with a leather jacket and a bottle of Jack Daniels. The mood mellows on 'Another Lifetime' that has a wonky piano melody reminiscent of Mungo Jerry or the Kinks but expands into a Queen-esque chorus while 'Cats Can't Play Guitar' lets the bass take the spotlight for a while on a song that also has a John Deacon imprint on it, not to mention the Mercury adjacent vocals.
The band visit the Blues section of their record collection on 'Bust', a song with such raw energy and honest production that it sounds like it could have been recorded in one take back in the 50s. There's a slightly prog-rock flavour to 'Cage' but via Haight Ashbury before 'Antidote' goes all driving, moody rock'n'roll on our collective asses and I don't mind it one bit - a live favourite for sure, I'd imagine. The guitar that opens 'Bleed' has a Spanish flavour but one fed through a mincer of dramatic rock and a nod towards to the story telling traditions of old.
The last track proper is another former single, 'Breaking Out', and you can tell why it was picked out for release with its instant hook, snarling vocals and the kind of energy that just reaches out of the speakers and grabs you by the ears. We finish with a trumpet and piano jam in a Parisian bar with 'Cats (reprise)' singing us to our cabs and life outside of the rock'n'roll circus. This is not a perfect album by any stretch but the raw energy, expansive imagination, dedication to the genre, and engaging song writing all make for a genuinely exhilarating listen and a real shot in the arm for the future of British rock music. You won't hear a more exciting debut this year or, probably next.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/saiphon.band