Adebisi Shank – This Is The Third Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank

Adebisi Shank ‘still exists. Only more crazy’ -Niall McGuirk on This Is The Third Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank

Wow, three albums. 2 upcoming gigs in Whelans and plenty of a buzz around Adebisi Shank. And not unmerited. It’s been 4 years since the much lauded “This Is the Second Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank” and whilst the world has greatly changed the “seriously upbeat mathy rock craziness” still exists. Only more crazy.

8 and a bit tracks are here for you to enjoy, mainly instrumental with the robot throwing in the odd word here and there. it’s like the Cardiacs went to hardcore school and bumped into Grover Washington Jnr at the entrance. Some of these songs are a full on assault, everything going crazy and a pounding drum beat to keep it all in check.

The first time I saw Adebisi I wondered how three people could make such a racket. Maybe there were hidden instruments behind the mask on stage? We always look to pigeonhole music, and because there was no vocalist Adebisi got lumbered with the math rock nonsensical label. Maybe there’s mathematics behind the structure of the songs, but it’s more Daft Punk than Polaris.

This album hits the ground tunning with World In Harmony – It’s War of the worlds gone mad, you’ve got the aformentioned Cardiacs running around playing hardcore and rushing onto the dance floor. Thankfully Big Unit slows it all down a bit… by thundering along. This is the Shank anthem – keyboard with huge drum beat, but still there’s tangents rushing off everywhere. Other parts of the record have an almost celtic feel, maybe even world music although I can’t imagine this CD ever coming free with New Internationalist magazine.