"our exalted stable oh, looks so good on the kitchen table..."
Now that I have totally bummed you out, let's talk about the important politico art punkery of "Banana" by Pōneke/ Wellington (New Zealand) jangle / surf / fuzz-pop sextet Tidal Rave. The song is hypnotic in it's musical sway and has a broad artful kind of carnival-esque outstretched hand, stage spotlighted vocal aesthetic. It also has underneath, a dire, somber black tone that I feel within the stoic, serious nature of the musical attacks despite a kind of baroque pop flair. I thought of an amalgam of Dresden Dolls and Sparks and oddly (or maybe not) Concrete Blonde. Listen to Johnette Napolitano's sad powerful lilt on "Tomorrow Wendy" from the Concrete Blonde's 1990 "Bloodletting" album and there is some tenuous artful connection to Tidal Rave's sound ( ok, maybe only in an alternate universe but I feel it).
More than the sound and subtle sonic fury of "Banana" is the dark political social commentary that grabbed me intensely. Check it out and check Tidal Rave out. I have included a documentary of sorts about the dark history of the lovely banana. It is NOT for the faint of heart.
Peace.
-Robb Donker Curtius
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
YouTube
https://tidalravenz.bandcamp.com/
Pōneke/ Wellington (New Zealand) jangle / surf / fuzz-pop sextet Tidal Rave return with a new single “Banana” ahead of the launch of their snazzily titled “Albumette” following up their 2020 album “Heart Screams”.
"Banana" contemplates the enjoyment of the banana as a convenient and nourishing food, while also pondering ethical dilemmas about exploitative labour practices by large multi-national banana growers, expressing the pleasure/ guilt dilemma of western consumption that many of us grapple with.
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