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Bump

Bump in Bloomington, MN
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Not one of the more interesting period artifacts from the Detroit rock scene of the late '60s and early '70s,
Bump
took after neither the thrilling proto-punkish heavy rock of state mates
the MC5
and
the Stooges
nor the raucous blue-eyed rock & soul of
the Rationals
Mitch Ryder
, and there are no hints of a
Motown
influence. Too bad on all counts, because, instead, the band opts for a psychedelicized brand of minor-key pop/rock with progressive flourishes that wants to be eerie but just as often comes off flat and uninspired. For the most part, the songs are just not there. There are a few things on this CD reissue of
's only album that could be construed as quaint reminders of a bygone era, even if they ultimately only act as reminders of how much better the best first- and second- (even third-) tier bands from that period were. Nevertheless, the brief snippet
"Holly Thorndike"
is so adorably twee and prissy it could have come off an early
Bee Gees
record (but only if it were better produced, performed, and recorded), and who knows how songs such as
"Daydream Song"
"Spider's Eyes"
may have come off in a smoke- and incense-choked room or through the filter of a swirling acid haze.
tries hard to be atmospheric, to work the same ominous side of the pop spectrum as
the Doors
Procol Harum
, and in that respect the album means well, but it's also derivative and completely cheesy faux psych-pop -- not the real thing at all, even though it pastes on the fuzz guitar and echo and every other sordid effect it can find. More often than not, the paper-thin organ riffs sound more roller-rink than ballroom, and the melodies more merry-go-round than psychedelic, and after only a few songs,
George Runyan
's expressiveless voice -- and hence the album that it carries -- just turns hopelessly grating. ~ Stanton Swihart
Bump
took after neither the thrilling proto-punkish heavy rock of state mates
the MC5
and
the Stooges
nor the raucous blue-eyed rock & soul of
the Rationals
Mitch Ryder
, and there are no hints of a
Motown
influence. Too bad on all counts, because, instead, the band opts for a psychedelicized brand of minor-key pop/rock with progressive flourishes that wants to be eerie but just as often comes off flat and uninspired. For the most part, the songs are just not there. There are a few things on this CD reissue of
's only album that could be construed as quaint reminders of a bygone era, even if they ultimately only act as reminders of how much better the best first- and second- (even third-) tier bands from that period were. Nevertheless, the brief snippet
"Holly Thorndike"
is so adorably twee and prissy it could have come off an early
Bee Gees
record (but only if it were better produced, performed, and recorded), and who knows how songs such as
"Daydream Song"
"Spider's Eyes"
may have come off in a smoke- and incense-choked room or through the filter of a swirling acid haze.
tries hard to be atmospheric, to work the same ominous side of the pop spectrum as
the Doors
Procol Harum
, and in that respect the album means well, but it's also derivative and completely cheesy faux psych-pop -- not the real thing at all, even though it pastes on the fuzz guitar and echo and every other sordid effect it can find. More often than not, the paper-thin organ riffs sound more roller-rink than ballroom, and the melodies more merry-go-round than psychedelic, and after only a few songs,
George Runyan
's expressiveless voice -- and hence the album that it carries -- just turns hopelessly grating. ~ Stanton Swihart