Ping
The A-side/The B-side
Brown Lagoon Records

We praised Ping's album The Castle Massacre more than six years ago. In the meantime they have released two more albums, Discotheque Of Darkness (2009) and The Hurricane Spoof (2012), that unfortunately went unnoticed here at our kafé, but both very well worth checking out. Well, here at least is a brand new single. One might suspect the band has run out of song titles, and the urge to explore different musical expressions within one song has diminished, at least on "The A-side". It is also known as "Radio Hit # 1" and seems to strech as far as Ping can go in a commercial direction. A little pop gem with nice guitars and vocals, swirling keyboards and an electric viola that adds that something little extra. My only objection is the syrupy harmony vocals halfway through the song. They don't last for long and I suspect a little twinkle in the eye here. "The B-side" on the other hand sounds a lot closer to what might be expected from Ping. It pulls in many different directions, pop, rock, progressive light, flamenco and jazz-rock to name but a few and some of them delightful Zappa'esque overtones as well. Recorded in a confident and playful way that only Ping seems to master. I love both sides for quite different reasons. Read how to order, stream or download them via Ping's home page.

Copyright © 2013 JP