The Bishops - The Bishops (1234)
3/5
By: Matt Tomiak
Doe-eyed, fresh-faced but sharply suited and slightly menacing, the three young London chappies who comprise The Bishops stare moodily out on the sepia-tinged cover of their eponymous debut LP like the sleeve of one of the early Rolling Stones albums. And occasionally, they sound like the younger incarnation of The Stones, too- check the 'Paint It Black' mimicking 'Lies & Indictments.'
The Bishops' classic posturing isn't confined to the artwork. This LP represents a crisp, concise rattle through 13 retro-infused tracks. Opener 'Menace About Town' (one of the few tracks to exceed the two minute mark on 'The Bishops') is a bizarre amalgamation of early Beatles, Bloc Party's 'The Prayer' and Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues'. 'Breakaway', meanwhile, feels like The Fab Four covering the original Batman theme tune.
Shifting their musical concentrations to a successive era, 'The Only Place I Can Look Is Down' finds the band in the compelling form of The Clash, as does 'The Guns of Brixton'-aping 'Travelling Our Way Home.' Other contemporary, but equally retro-infused influences, are signified via 'I Can't Stand It Anymore' is -close in spirit to The Coral's melancholic Merseybeat- and the growling BRMC-ish flourish of 'Say Hello.'
Although the album does occasionally feel a tad too reverential, 'The Bishops' provides is a short, snappy and often engaging half hour-or-so listen.
Stream two tracks from 'The Bishops' HERE.
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