{"id":2710,"date":"2017-05-03T14:27:24","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T19:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rabbitwho.com\/blog\/?p=2710"},"modified":"2017-05-03T14:27:24","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T19:27:24","slug":"album-the-puss-puss-band-echoes-across-the-cruel-sea-april-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rabbitwho.com\/blog\/album-the-puss-puss-band-echoes-across-the-cruel-sea-april-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Album\/ The Puss Puss Band – Echoes Across The Cruel Sea \/\/ April 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

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THE PUSS PUSS BAND \u2013 \u201cEchoes Across the Cruel Sea\u201d<\/a>THE PUSS PUSS BAND \u2013 \u201cEchoes Across the Cruel Sea\u201d <\/a>Album: The Puss Puss Band – Echoes Across The Cruel Sea :: April 2017<\/a> TXT<\/a> TXT<\/a> Pasted Graphic<\/a> TXT<\/a><\/p>\n

Album: The Puss Puss Band – Echoes Across The Cruel Sea \/\/ April 2017<\/b><\/p>\n

The Puss Puss Band have created a damn fine collection of Pop\/Folk songs, and have labelled this sonic gift as\u00a0\u2018Echoes Across The Cruel Sea\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

With sincere melodies and songwriting that can only be described as accomplished, they deliver an established, mature sound that makes the new listener feel like they\u2019re already acquainted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Puss Puss Band are a two piece mainly studio based outfit from South Wales comprising of multi instrumentalists Asa Galeozzie and Lee Pugh.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both have worked with numerous artists and bands in the UK and the Welsh music industry over the last ten years as writers, session musicians while also developing their sound engineering and studio production skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a break from the industry Galeozzie and Pugh once again began writing,arranging and producing the material that would go on to become The Puss Puss Band.<\/span><\/p>\n

Influenced by the compositional and songwriting genius of artists like Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach, David Bowie, Neil Young and Bill Nelson; Galeozzie and Pugh began shaping the idea of an amalgamation of simple pop\/rock songs and more sonically ambitious \u2018pocket epics\u2019 with every idea being,conceived, written performed, engineered and produced by themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a big emphasis on pure, honest, fearless songwriting, and intricately woven melodies The Puss Puss Band aim to blend the stripped bare feeling of acoustic indie pop and rock with hints of the more classic, refined and warmer elements of jazz, folk, and blues, to create songs and arrangements that don\u2019t easily fall into a pigeon holed genre.<\/span><\/p>\n

April 2017 saw the release of the debut album Echoes Across The Cruel Sea which features a guest appearance throughout by John Rabbit Bundrick (The Who, Free, Roger waters, Bob Marley\u2026) On piano, Hammond organ, & Synths.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Puss Puss Band are currently promoting the new album and recently performed numerous live sets including a live acoustic set for the BBC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Current Releases;<\/span><\/p>\n

Echoes Across The Cruel Sea (2017) – The full debut album
\nfeaturing John Rabbit Bundrick<\/span><\/p>\n

The Puss Puss Band EP (2016)
\n– Four single pre album preview EP. (Album Due February 2017)<\/span><\/p>\n

– Available now from Bandcamp https:\/\/thepusspussband.bandcamp.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Follow The Puss Puss Band on\u2026. Twitter: @puss_band<\/span><\/p>\n

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Interview & Album Review: THE PUSS PUSS BAND \u2013 \u201cEchoes Across the Cruel\u00a0Sea\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although I call myself \u201cEclectic Music Lover\u201d, frequent readers of my blog know I\u2019m particularly fond of alternative and hard rock. That being said, I truly appreciate great music in any genre or form, and every now and then an artist or band comes along whose music deeply touches me. Such is the feeling I get when listening to The Puss Puss Band<\/b>. Their jazz and folk-infused pop rock sound envelops me like a warm blanket, transporting me to a place where all is good with the world \u2013 and wouldn\u2019t that be a nice place to land! As I stated in a review of their self-titled EP last November on this blog (which you can read here<\/span><\/a>), \u201ctheir easy-going instrumentals and smooth vocals make for an incredibly pleasing listening experience \u2013 sort of a Style Council meets England Dan & John Ford Coley with just a touch of Dan Fogelberg.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hailing from Wales, The Puss Puss Band consists of multi instrumentalists Asa Galeozzie<\/b> and Lee Pugh<\/b>.\u00a0Both have worked with numerous artists and bands in the UK and the Welsh music industry over the last ten years as writers & session musicians. They perform every aspect of their music: songwriting, instrumentals, vocals, arranging, engineering, producing and mixing. Asa plays guitar, bass, percussion, piano and melodica, while Lee plays lead guitar, bass and piano, as well as sings lead vocals. Now, with significant contribution from seasoned musician John \u2018Rabbit\u2019 Bundrick, the guys have produced their first full-length album Echoes Across the Cruel Sea<\/i>, which dropped on April 10. It\u2019s a collection of 12 gorgeous tracks that range from dreamy ballads to catchy, upbeat songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before launching into my review of the Echoes Across the Cruel Sea<\/i>, I asked the band some questions about how they came to be, as well as their inspiration for the album. Lee graciously provided these responses:<\/span><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 First off, how and when did you both meet and decide to collaborate?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

We met studying sound engineering & production about thirteen years ago, and have worked together ever since with our own bands and as session musicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 What\u2019s the origin of your name \u201cThe Puss Puss Band\u201d?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

When we first started planning this album it was purely intended as a studio project. We\u2019d meet a few times a week at Asa\u2019s to run through ideas and songs, and his cat would sit on a stool and just watch us play. It dawned on us after a few months of this that we were essentially a \u2018house band\u2019\u2026.for an audience of one cat. Her nickname was Puss Puss.<\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Do you both share songwriting duties on both lyrics and music?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. We share lyric\/song duties and bounce them between us. Sometimes the lyrics come from one of us fully formed, but often we\u2019ll fettle those a little between us, then trial a quick scratch demo to work through the arrangement, and once we\u2019re happy we fire up the mic\u2019s and amps and start passing instruments back and forth. We\u2019ll often capture an essentially live stripped down performance, then we build up from there. \u201cThinking Of You\u201d is a good example of that. We recorded the acoustic guitar, piano and vocal live in one or two takes, and then the rest of the track was completed with a few over dubbed guitars.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Is there a back story regarding the album title Echoes Across the Cruel Sea? It\u2019s a lovely album, and most of the songs on the album are really pleasing, Are they meant to stand in contrast with the word \u201ccruel\u201d in the album title, almost like an antidote to cruelty in the world?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

The album is intended as an upfront honest journal of the last ten years of our personal lives. There\u2019s no artistic license being used in the lyrics\u2026we set out to be fearless and honest in that regard.\u00a0It\u2019s essentially a sneaky concept album although we resisted the urge to make the songs flow too obviously from one to the next. The \u201ccruel sea\u201d represents life, love and all it\u2019s uncertainty and the songs themselves are the echoes of our thoughts, feelings and reflections over that period of our lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

We set out to be as transparent and laid bare as we could make it, lyrically, musically and production wise\u2026.no studio trickery, no bullshit, no ego talk, just an honest account of our lives which we hope we\u2019ve managed to present in a somewhat universal manner which anyone hopefully can relate to in some capacity?<\/span><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 How did John Rabbit Bundrick come to collaborate with you on the album? Were you specifically looking for someone else to provide music input?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Asa is a massive The Who fan and heard that Rabbit was back doing session work after finishing with The Who a few years ago. We sent \u201cFeline Fine\u201d over to see if he\u2019d be interested. Rabbit said he loved the track and was more than happy to play in it\u2026and without fee which was incredibly generous given his insanely huge CV and standing in the industry.\u00a0We mixed it and sent it over to him, and he asked to hear some other tracks from the album. He said he was really digging what we were doing so his joining us for the rest of the album just took off from there.<\/span><\/p>\n

We were adamant after years of working with others and all the creative compromise that comes with that, that this album was only going to be the two of us so we could maintain and hopefully achieve our shared vision of what this album would be. But the chance to work with a session musician of Rabbit\u2019s calibre made it a no-brainer obviously. \u00a0His piano work is beautiful and his mastery of the Hammond organ is pretty much unparalleled by anyone else. Rabbit contributed something very special that we couldn\u2019t provide ourselves and is so humble, professional and generous that it wasn\u2019t just a thrill but a pleasure and privilege throughout.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 Do you guys have plans to do more live performances or even tour a bit?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, hopefully we\u2019ll start putting together a hand-picked session backline later this year from our contacts, and look at taking the album out. This was intended purely as a studio album, but the response we\u2019ve had the last few months kind of makes it inevitable that we will once again take to the road in the very near future.<\/span><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be?\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Lee: David Bowie\/Burt Bacharach
\nAsa: Brian Wilson\/Roger Waters<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbit has already played with almost everyone already! If you haven\u2019t seen his discography you should check it out\u2026it is mind blowing how much he has contributed to music in the last 40 odd years!!<\/span><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0 Perhaps a bit premature to ask, given you\u2019ve just released a new album, but any plans for more music in the future?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Not premature at all <\/span>?<\/span> We\u2019ve already started writing the second album and Rabbit is on board to join us again.\u00a0Don\u2019t want to give too much away too soon but the theme for that album and it\u2019s content are already taking shape. All we\u2019ll say is the first album was more introverted and personal. In the next one we\u2019d like to reach out a bit more to touch on the state of the world we all find ourselves in right now, and the growing distance between us all as we try to make sense of the world we are struggling to maintain our roles in it, and try to hold a mirror up to that rather than just preach about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Anything additional you\u2019d like people to know about Puss Puss Band. or things I neglected to touch on?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

We are just two fiercely and proudly independent musicians.\u00a0We\u2019ve pretty much now achieved our goal of becoming creatively self sufficient. We write, arrange, perform, engineer, produce, mix, master everything ourselves from our very very modest and basic studio. We\u2019ve thrown the rule book out production-wise, and harked back to the old fashioned recording approach to create \u2018our sound.\u2019 I guess we just hope that people respond to that and hopefully hear something in it that you don\u2019t get from modern production, with all it\u2019s close, dry, sterile mic\u2019ing, separation and heavy compression throughout.\u00a0But above all else I guess we just hope that people find something in our music they can relate to and enjoy because that means more to us than anything else.<\/span><\/p>\n

OK, so let\u2019s dig into the album. First off, as I alluded to earlier, Echoes Across the Sea<\/i> is gorgeous, overflowing with lush soundscapes of multi-textured instrumentation and smooth harmonizing vocals. The songs deal mostly with the vagaries of love and relationships. The terrific \u201cBucko\u2019s Lullaby<\/b>\u201d kicks things off, setting the tone for the entire album. We\u2019re greeted by gentle xylophone before layers of guitar, percussion, organ and beautiful strings enter the proceedings. With a hint of sadness in his seductive voice, Lee sings to a loved one who\u2019s slipping away emotionally: \u201cSomething in that smile says you\u2019ve changed. Those big brown eyes look further away. What happens when love goes lame? You screw it all up and start over again. You box it all up and you throw it away.<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up is \u201cAlone<\/b>,\u201d an upbeat track which was originally featured on their previous EP, but gets revisited on this album. As I\u2019d mentioned on the EP review, this song has a discernible Style Council\u00a0vibe. It\u2019s a great song, with some really fine guitar and piano. Things turn mellow on the lovely \u201cFall Back Down<\/b>.\u201d Lee\u2019s vocals are so seductive on this track (and many others) they could lure a turtle out of its shell! The guys rock out a bit on \u201cCliff Song<\/b>,\u201d which features some tasty guitar riffage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The remainder of the album stays on the mellower side, starting with the moving track \u201cInwake<\/b>.\u201d To a gentle guitar riff, Lee sings: \u201cCan we help it, this changing season, or are you just like me? The things that we feel seem less than real, like faded memories. The twilight hours keep you safe and warm as I creep out of the room. In the blink of an eye to you and to I, every wave between you and me, the change we feel, just echoes across the cruel sea<\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The beguiling \u201cBeeswax<\/b>\u201d is a standout track, with marvelous instrumentals featuring chiming synths, Rabbit\u2019s lovely piano and organ, and the guys\u2019 deft guitar work. Lee\u2019s vocals are utterly sublime, as they also are on the enchanting tracks \u201cSay it First<\/b>,\u201d \u201cThinking of You<\/b>\u201d and \u201cFeline Fine<\/b>\u201d \u2013 the latter of which is probably my favorite of all their songs. It was also included on their debut EP, but this new version features beautiful piano work by Rabbit, which makes the already great tune sound even better. And no pun intended \u2013 well, just a little \u2013 Lee purrs\u00a0\u201cYou got me working double time, you got me clocking overtime, you got me feline fine. And I know I can\u2019t show you the things that I see, but sometimes I wish I could. Because you got something that makes me feel glad at night. And you got everything because you know you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

The tracks \u201cEnd of June\u201d\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0\u201cPerfect World<\/b>\u201d have a pleasant folk-rock feel with lovely strummed guitar, set to a languid beat, though \u201cEnd of June\u201d has the added bonus of some spiffy electric guitar. The album ends on a bittersweet note with \u201cNot Just You<\/b>,\u201d a compelling ballad that speaks to the despair of living in a depressed industrial town, with little hope of things getting better. \u201cNo one talks, your mom\u2019s depressed, your dad went empty in his chest. There\u2019s nothing left. And everybody wants to be anywhere else it seems. Not just you.<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Echoes Across the Cruel Sea<\/i> is a well-crafted album, with outstanding production values. The Puss Puss Band\u2019s lyrics, music and vocals are all stellar, making this an album I can listen to on repeat \u2013 which I have done!<\/span><\/p>\n

Connect with The Puss Puss Band:\u00a0Facebook<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\/ \u00a0Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Stream their music: \u00a0Soundcloud<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\/ \u00a0Spotify<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Purchase it: \u00a0Bandcamp<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\/ \u00a0iTunes<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>EP Review: THE PUSS PUSS BAND<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Today I shine my spotlight on a singer\/songwriter duo that goes by the fun, quirky name The Puss Puss Band. \u00a0They are multi instrumentalists Asa Galeozzie and Lee Pugh, a mainly studio based band from South Wales.\u00a0Both have worked with numerous artists and bands in the UK and the Welsh\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

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In “Reviews”<\/span><\/p>\n

Author EclecticMusicLover<\/span><\/a>Posted on May 1, 2017May 1, 2017<\/span><\/a>Categories\u00a0\u00a0Echoes Across the Cruel Sea<\/span><\/a>, John Rabbit Bundrick<\/span><\/a>, The Puss Puss Band<\/span><\/a>, UK Artists<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

3 thoughts on \u201cInterview & Album Review: THE PUSS PUSS BAND \u2013 \u201cEchoes Across the Cruel\u00a0Sea\u201d\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Lee Pugh<\/b> says:
    \n    May 2, 2017 at 5:34 am <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Thank you so much Jeff <\/span>?<\/span> Hopefully getting the video for the single release of Beeswax sorted finished very soon.
    \nCheers
    \nLee & Asa
    \nThe Puss Puss Band
    \n    Like<\/span><\/a>Liked by 2 people<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Reply<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    <\/span><\/li>\n

  2. buffalotompeabody<\/b><\/span><\/a> says:
    \n    May 2, 2017 at 7:34 am <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Great interview, Jeff! I love these guys! I especially like the jangley guitars that go from Breezy to deep and dark. <\/span>??<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n