Big Arm - Radiator

A “rare groove”, some might say

While Sean Ryder’s downbeat charisma attracted acres of positive press for the at best patchy Uncle Dysfunctional album, estranged brother Paul weighs in with Big Arm, a rhythmic unit tagged on as support on the Ian Brown tour. Indeed, the Brown connection weighs heavy (Big Arm was Brown’s nickname for Paul Ryder and the “pounding” attack of the ex-Mondays man’s bass lines).

On Radiator, a largely self financed affair, the band deliver 10 hook-laden songs, all seemingly built from the bass up. The result is a consistent, coherent album that, at all times, emits an unlikely vibrancy.

The opening song, Flashbacks, succinctly sets the tone: pulsating, driven funk which glimpses the Monday’s golden moments. Paul Ryder seems determined to recapture the formula, minus, this time around, the debilitating chemical excess. The musicality spreads somewhat during Get Back, where the funk is fattened by chunks of brass electronica. One senses this may indicate a forthcoming musical direction. For the moment, we should savour this fearlessly funky fire of a record. Only Sweet Soul Music offers lighter pop tones, which sparkle towards the end of the album. Think Loose Fit with revived edge. Refreshingly natural and cool as…

Turn On Tunes | TOTO 3

Reviewed by Mick Middles
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