THE LICKERISH QUARTET — Band members of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Slash’s Snake Pit, Finn Brothers, Alice Cooper, Air & Beck – and all formerly of Jellyfish – reunite for 2nd EP with their first official UK release.
Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Tim Smith and Eric Dover have dropped their highly anticipated THREESOME VOL.2 EP on British indie label Lojinx.
Of the first single from the EP, “Snollygoster Goon” Eric Dover says “The music is Adderall-based, in theory, to reflect the absolute breakneck speed at which the corruption flourishes. A frenetic forensic foray into classic old-as-civilization themes involving greed, graft and corruption as applied to any political sphere. The snake oil salesman kissing babies, the saccharine unimaginative public image.”
The new release is, naturally, the follow-up to their debut EP, THREESOME VOL.1 – lauded by critics as “a masterpiece” – which was released in May 2020 in the US.
With song titles “Snollygoster Goon,” “The Dream That Took Me Over,” “Sovereignty Blues,” and “Do You Feel Better?” Manning, Smith, and Dover’s undeniable chemistry can once again be found throughout THREESOME VOL.2.
The songs formed from the same sessions that begun in 2017 offer a slinky and feisty landscape of temptation, freedom of thought, hope and dreams, and a shout out to all who game the systems. An edgy second round of soaring vocals, angular guitars, and pulsing drums, enveloped by timeless keyboard arrangements requires multiple listens to appreciate fully. Manning, Dover and Smith ruminate on the other 3 new songs:
“Do You Feel Better?” as told by Tim Smith:
A romp along the primrose path of temptations, internal and external, real or imagined, the tiny demons we dance with throughout our lives. A pulsing bass and hypnotic guitar rhythm plays like the backing band to a striptease you’ve sneaked into, and don’t know where to sit, but all are welcome!
Some things are more dangerous than others, of course, but this song is sort of a combination of letting your guard down, because of preconceived notions of what’s right or wrong, and justification of actions you think you understand to have under control. Who knows?
Experiences do give us perspective, and this song tries to play between the id and superego – a Screwtape letter demon, and an Angel of Mercy.
“Sovereignty Blues” as told by Roger Joseph Manning Jr.:
“Fears fire’s all they’re fanning, but I won’t light up their fuse.” A tale as old as humanity. Group control over another through the tried and true tactic of fear. And always partnered with a fatal dose of “divide and conquer.” But who’s actually pulling the levers and pushing the buttons of the propaganda machine behind the Wizard of Oz’ curtain of crowd control, so to speak? Irrelevant.
Ultimately, the perennial question for any person, provided they value sovereignty above all else, is: am I going to choose love over fear, peace over chaos, and God over the ego in any given moment? Everything can be taken from a man but one thing (to quote Viktor Frankl): “The last of the human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” And with that in mind, grab a torch, march to your own drum, and sing along!
“The Dream That Took Me Over” as told by Eric Dover:
You are driving without a destination lured by the wanderlust of your own making. You turn up the stereo volume and continue along, moonlight reflecting off the chrome of your vehicle.
We invite you to put the top down and take a ride into the inner dialectic of our conflicted protagonist as we answer the question: Is there equilibrium in the chaos or does science hold the key?
The first single from THREESOME VOL.1, “Lighthouse Spaceship,” has had nearly 100,000 plays on Spotify since its release in March with the vinyl release undergoing multiple re-pressings due to rabid demand.
Rave reviews emerged about THREESOME VOL.1 since before its release in the US. Popmatters.com hailed, “Fans of both Jellyfish and Imperial Drag will rejoice at the Quartet’s sound. There are doses of XTC/Queen/ELO-style harmonic structures, flirtations with progressive and psychedelic rock, and tasteful but deeply impressive musicianship.” While the Minneapolis Star-Tribune declared, “If you love the harmonies of Queen, the songwriting of Brian Wilson and the lushness of Borns, (‘Lighthouse Spaceship’) is a must-add to your playlist.” The Day (CT) proclaimed, “This mini-masterpiece offers the same joy-crafted recipe fans loved about the ’90s-era band (Jellyfish): Four sugar-packed tunes of Queenisms, lick-the-spoon Wings frosting, wry Fountains of Waynery, and a quick waterside through Brian Wilson’s acid-period brain.” And MusicPlayers.com concluded, “…these tracks are dreamy good! The songs cover a variety of classic pop styles from a time when you didn’t have to clarify that pop was actually a form of rock music, with a heavy dose of ‘70s vibe and incredible vocal harmonies draped over jangly electric guitars, folky acoustics, vintage keyboards, and bass grooves that can only be called… exceptional.”
Proclaims Tim Smith, “THREESOME VOL.2 finds our threesome in fine form, with four new songs to get you through COVID times and beyond!”
