We have all heard stories about how some band or artist's music saved someone's life. Maybe one among us has also experienced that, we have all turned to music in times of need, and heartbreak, is there one of us who doesn't have a go-to album that got us through the dark midnight of the soul? Groucho Marx once said Blessed are the cracked for, they allow in the light. That's how music works. As our crutch, our medicine, and our torch to lead us to a bridge to better days.
The people who create this music draw their water from the same well that we do. Their personal suffering motivates, inspires, and occasionally keeps them afloat. A case in point is powerhouse vocalist Sian Greenaway. Losing her sister to cancer, she recorded not one but two albums during this time!Two albums that are musically opposites. Two albums for two different projects. The first was for her long-time Gig Alunah, and the second was for her brand-new project Bobbie Dazzle. The sheer logistics of writing two albums at the same time is mind-boggling. Balls that big are usually seen rolling down a cavern after Indiana Jones.
There's a lot to unpack here, so let's look at Alunah first. In 2018 about to fall apart Greenaway joined as their new vocalist for the "Amber and Gold" ep. Over the following two albums "Violet Hour" and "Strange Machine" she transformed the band. Moving from their traditional doom band into a much more interesting prospect. The arrival of Guitarist Matt Noble for "Strange Machine" partnered with Greenaway's growing confidence as both vocalist and lyricist allowed Alunah to land a classic rock album stuffed with great songs. With the line-up seemingly stable can they repeat or better their last album?
"Fever Dream" sees Noble stretching out with better riffs and solos. This allows Greenaway to do the same vocally. Kicking off with "Never to Late", Lizzy style riffing underpins a full-on twin vocal attack by Greenaway and Guest vocalist Francis Tobolsky (Wucan). That's how to start an album. "Trickster of Time" keeps up the barrage of hard riffing. The flute of Greenaway acts as a surrogate second guitar. One bleeding into the other, trading licks. The title track takes the scenic route, traveling back roads into prog territory and a multitracked vocal, giving the song a dreamy quality, before crashing back into a Sabbath-inspired finale. "Sacred Grooves" goes even further, bringing Eastern melodies to the mix. The chorus on this is epic. This is a much heavier album than "Strange Machine". This is down to Noble's guitar histrionics pushing Greenaway to stretch her voice, and her reply pushes him back. The strength of this album hangs on this back and forth. Overall, it may not surpass their last album but it more than matches it, making a one-two-punch album run that not only shows the growing confidence of the band's front line but the ability of Greenaway to Power through her loss and deliver an album that is top drawer.
Now, turning to her second album of this year. Bobbie Dazzle is her brainchild and real passion. Greenaway has long spoken of her love of early 70's Glam rock and especially her favorite band Sweet. Adopting the pseudonym or alter ego Bobbie Dazzle (it worked for Vincent Fournier, so why not) to help her through her sister's passing, one would expect an outpouring of grief but what we get is a celebratory dive into "Fandabidozi" ( a catch phrase rescued from the Krankies...if you don't know them... look them up if you dare!!!)The title that screams the early 70s and even more so harks back to a time when rock music was fun. Remember that?
The opening track "Lightning Fantasy" sums up more than anything I can write, how from the darkest place springs light and twists of fate that no one could predict. While dealing with the unenviable task of clearing out her late Sister's house, Greenaway found her late farther's record collection that her sister had inherited with his passing. Tucked away in a Bob Dylan album was a sheet with five lyrics Her dad had written at the tender age of 17. Bridging the decades the lyrics to the opening track were Her dads, the music and melody were hers. Call it a tribute to her passed family members, call it closure, a fluke? Whatever it is, it is a collaboration like no other. It's evidence the universe has a plan and the vibrancy of this track sets up the album.
Greenaway's voice is at it's best in its natural baritone and here she makes the best of it. The songs are shot through with musical nods and motifs but it's the voice that remains the central point that the abundance of ideas presented here orbit around. This isn't an album that asks you to contemplate, rather it demands you turn up the volume and dance around the kitchen like no one is looking. Is there a need for a 70's glam album in 2024? The speed that the first single "Back to the City" sold out tells me there is an audience for Bobbie Dazzle.
Returning to my opening suggestion, that recording two separate albums in the year is mind-boggling,For that alone congratulations are well deserved, but recording two albums of this quality is insane. Alunah have landed a really good classic rock album, but Bobbie Dazzle have landed a future classic. It celebrates not only rock music at its most carefree and celebratory but also Sian Greenaway's resilience, turning a terrible loss into triumph. Her father and Sister would be proud.
The song says it all. "Lady on Fire"
Alunah - Fever Dream is released September the 8th
Bobbie Dazzle - Fandabidozi is released October 4 th
-Bobo Coen
