281) Miki Berenyi Trio - Tripla

Review 184 dealt with the band Lush and their record Lovelife (https://www.albumsin200words.co.uk/post/184-lush-lovelife) and mentioned Miki Berenyi’s autobiography Fingers Crossed. You really should have read it by now and many have as it was an immense success, and Berenyi was asked to do readings and to play a couple of tunes. The thought of doing this on her own filled her with dread so she recruited her partner Kevin McKillop and Oliver Cherer and to make life a bit easier, oh and  a drum machine. The band were offered support slots with Gang of Four and Wedding Present and have slowly moved from reinterpreting Lush’s old songs to performing new material which has resulted in their debut Tripla.First thing is If you were a fan of Lush or her subsequent band Piroshka you can be assured that Berenyi still has that voice, it has not diminished. Nine songs, each band member contributing to the songwriting. What we have here is layered electronic sounds, floating vocals, and wonderful flourishes of guitar.

8th Deadly Sin opens the record and has a shimmering riff from the start with insanely catchy one-liners sang by Miki and the odd computer effect word thrown in, incredibly strong start.

Two major figures in Berenyi’s life are Lush drummer Chris Acland and her father, Kinch is not a sad song but reflects on people no longer with us ending with the line “You are as real to me as when you were alive.”

Vertigo was released last year and starts slow, minimal with Miki’s vocal, but layers are added, it never kicks off but doesn’t need to, it’s allowed space to breathe it clearly demonstrates that this was a band to show serious interest in.

Gango listen to the bass at the start and A Different Girl the guitars are clear and emotive. Big I Am is the one to get your feet moving (not me obviously that would be awful) all funk rhythms and a stomping beat, seriously good and Hurricane is one of those bloody infectious tunes and the chorus makes you feel you have listened to it for years and long may it continue.

Manu bubbles along for six minutes, I always loved she had the dreamy vocal and the straight to the point voice and she still has this and Ubique ends the record with strings over a haunting dreamlike tune.

Whoever persuaded Miki to write her autobiography should be congratulated as would we even have this record if she has not been asked to read and play, we should be thankful, let’s hope there is a lot more to come.

8/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Vertigo