Bikeuala may be considered ‘pure sonic fun’. I can literally hear the fun they had recording this collection of 18 songs. Each one has its own personality. A few themes and sounds are present in most of the songs giving it a near-theme. But really, the best way of enjoying these 28 minutes of packed-tight fun is to lose your mind among the sounds.
Whoever is on that drum does a fantastic job. On nearly every track, the drummer makes his presence felt on the dance track “Mis Lady DJ” or in a more frenzied way “Bugs”. At no point does the drummer appear to get much of a break on the album. Even at the quieter moments, there might be a gentle brushing, but he’s always there, waiting to explode into torrential downpour of rhythm and noise.
A few times I’m reminded of “Home Movies” the show while I hear this album. Part of that reason might have to do with the pure joy contained, in fact overflowing from each track. The sheer amount of energy and sincerity, however silly, has a similar feel to that show. While it may appear on the surface to be a bunch of guys (Tom Filardo, Edward Chrichton, and Gregory Campanile, to be specific) goofing around, there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye.
I find the positivity to be a very good thing. Experimentation can be a warm, emotional positive thing. Bikeuala proves this in spades. While they experiment with the idea of what a pop song is, they give off a vibe similar to Canada’s “The Unicorns” but with less singing. The few times you do hear singing is usually to emphasize the mood.
Sometimes through the course of the album you get the feeling several bands are within this one bands. There’s the mellow indie band, there’s the frantic stomping goodness one, and there’s the ambient, reflective one. Considering they only have 28 minutes, that’s no mean feat. Best part of this album is it is all for free right here.