Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On
As these things go, Creep On Creepin’ On is some fairly weak wordplay, albeit suitably dark-hearted in its thrust. Wearing indeed a creepy face of menace – one set all the same with a toothy smile – it’s an album concept that affords this Canadian three-piece the space to deviate from their formerly linear blues-folk roots.
It’s fair to say that with elements of doo-wop, chamber pop and rockabilly now all adding to the band’s more familiar blues, Creep On Creepin’ On has something of a cut-and-paste, B-movie-horror-score kind of ambience to it. In this regard, it’s often not far from recalling Dirty Beaches recent mash-ups, yet Timber Timbre ‘s tongue feels firmly more in cheek.
Accordingly then, as protesting strings, piano beats and gothic bass argue amongst themselves, frontman Taylor Kirk sashays in with his mildly reverbed tales of the paranormal, such as can be found on the unnerving opener “Bad Ritual”.
From here things get bleaker. The interlude-like instrumental “Obelisk” (one of a series of such interjections) is full of string-induced suspense and percussive heartbeats. And things get groovier too. The minimal, relaxed and smoky plod of “Black Water” is an ocean from the band’s previous incarnation, whose folky existence is only hinted at by such concessions as the drifting fiddle that latterly appears on “Too Old To Die Young”.
All in all, it’s hard to know if Creep On Creepin’ On is serious or not. The pastiche saxophone that, amongst other places, closes the title track certainly doesn’t seem to think so, nor quite does Kirk’s smug croon. And it’s difficult to know what to make of the quivering, UFO-like miasma that hangs over “Woman” and “Do I Have Power?”.
Despite this ill-at-ease balance, Creep On Creepin’ On is an album that nevertheless maintains the interest thanks to its guilty-pleasure schlock tactics. Mark it down as a true curio, one for which the most stylised of question marks seems tailor made.
Advised downloads: “Bad Ritual” and “Creep On Creepin’ On”.