Introduction
Spinning Clocks – Spirits In The Juice
Artist: Spinning Clocks
Title / Release Page: Spirits In the Juice
Release Date: 2015 Jan 16th
Genre: Lounge / Jazz
License: CC BY
Media: MP3
Pricing: Free / Donation
Label: Self-release / FMA
Rating: ★★★★★★★
This time out it’s time for music from Chicago with Jimmy Lacey formerly of Onyx System. Last time we heard him with Alex Nova on Twists. His latest project is Spinning Clocks – Spirits In The Juice.
Spinning Clocks – Spirits In The Juice
This is quite a change from Jimmy’s work with Alex Nova. Twists was a release of “dark wave” styled music that was left uncompleted when Onyx System disbanded. Now working outside of Onyx System, Jimmy Lacey has gotten together with four other musicians to produce a release of lounge-lizard exotica tinged jazz that throws one back to the tiki bar style of the 1950’s.
The lineup for this release is:
Andrew Radlowski – bass guitar, sitarPeter Hartel – violin
Jimmy Lacy – synthesizer
Benjamin Strange – banjo
Friday Savathphoune – percussion
The addition of instruments like sitar, banjo and violin give this release a totally different vibe. There are elements of 50’s pop, jazz, and rock thrown into the milieu that will keep one’s head spinning for quite a while. It’s almost like being on an acid trip back in the 60’s.
The final track ‘Around The Mountain’ is the one track that seems to be a deviation from the lounge / exotica theme of the release. It’s closer to a psychedelic drone style piece that just doesn’t quite fit in with the other three tracks.
Overall this work has a more spontaneous feeling to it. Like the musicians just improvised a series of tracks and came up with some ideas that they felt were good. Who knows, maybe they were sharing some ‘juice’ and this is what emerged.
Conclusion
The first three tracks on this release are great fun to listen to. The psychedelia of the last track doesn’t fit all taht well with the first three tracks. This release is really just an EP, given it’s length of fourteen minutes, but it is a good starting place for Jimmy Lacey’s new group. Hopefully we’ll be hearing more from them in the future.
