Prog

DUKE 72

Big Hogg man’s funky debut channels the golden age of the jam band.

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Judging by the title and cover alone of this latest release from the evereclect­ic Bad Elephant, you’d be forgiven for assuming that it contains a type of sub-Tolkien whimsy for buyers of dream catchers and crystal unicorns. The clue is in the band’s name, however: the spirit of 1972, specifical­ly around the area of west London. The

Mid Shires Herald is a rather excellent evocation of Ladbroke Grove’s psychedeli­c jam rock scene, where harmony guitars and vocals are underpinne­d by proggy chord changes and parping horns, brought to us by Big Hogg man Justin Lumsden (with assorted bandmates/members of Trembling Bells). Think of groups like Man, Help Yourself and the Edgar Broughton Band, with a dash of early Queen.

The album starts loose and spacey, but gradually gets tighter and funkier. Rust And Stars is a superb piece of strutting groove rock with folky female vocs hovering in the ether. Backbone Of A Jellyfish suggests some Beefheart-style strangenes­s, while the slinky Oxblood And Rings recalls both the Canterbury and West Coast sounds. Our pick is the crackling dub of Out Of Reach, a fine showcase for Duke 72’s mellow but far from toothless vibe.

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