Club Majesty
I never quite know what to expect when a new Royal Republic album comes out, only that for the next 45 minutes or so, my ears are in for something special. Their first couple of albums, ‘We are the Royal’ and ‘Save the Nation’ had a real pop punk feel. Then they descended into country for their third release, ‘Royal Republic and the Nosebreakers’. ‘Weekend Man’ I think cemented them into musical consciousness and now their fifth album, ‘Club Majesty’ is a hugely appealing album, to everybody.
Royal Republic features Adam Grahn on vocals, Hannes Irengård on guitars, Jonas Almén on bass and Per Andreasson on drums. This Swedish four piece have never been a band to label themselves. They would be just as at home playing a festival alongside the likes of Daft Punk as they would be playing a metal festival such as Download or Bloodstock. This album has such an across the board appeal.
The first track ‘Fireman and Dancer’ really sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is a fun, soulful, disco inspired rock ‘n’ roll track. Now I never imagined I would ever write that sequence of words in that order talking about one song and yet, here I am!
What follows is an album of floor fillers. You can’t help but dance to this album. ‘Boomerang’ has a bit of a James Brown feeling about it, certainly with the vocal performance. Add to that the almost strutting guitar; if John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever’ could be harnessed and turned into a guitar sound, this is it.
Following on from ‘Boomerang’, we have the very cool ‘Under Cover’. With a very ‘Superstition’ inspired guitar riff. This is yet another brilliant song which is definitely harking back to that seventies disco feel.
Then comes ‘Like a Lover’, a complete shift in musical style. This is more hard rock, almost Led Zeppelin like, with the guitar and the vocals playing off each other. It has a real nostalgic sound and the vocal dynamics work really well, going from the held back, sultry solo vocal to all out rock belt!
The final track ‘Bulldog’ is yet another musical shift. This time we are harking back to the 1950s with a very rock ’n roll inspired track. It wouldn’t surprise me if I heard this track in a Quentin Tarantino film, it just has that feeling.
This album is hugely enjoyable; it is style and genre defying and I like that. There is something for everyone, whether it is 1950s rock ‘n roll, 60’s hard rock or 70’s disco. Now that isn’t to say that it feels dated, not at all, in fact, despite its classic influence, Club Majesty feels really fresh. This is the feel good album of the year so far.
