We get a feeling of déjà vu… Three pasty young boys on a sidewalk with varnished boots, bell bottoms and tight tee shirts, the whole associated to a more or less tamed haircut. Is the trio composing Beechwood as rebel and dangerous as they pretend? Causing trouble during their concerts, wandering from place to place, it would seem that these bottom-end milords have taken a good intravenous dose of rock’n’roll and trance. Songs From The Land Of Nod is overflowing with inspiration and creativity, as much regarding the writing of texts and melodies as the originality of the sound effects. Rather astute, they start gently with Ain't Gonna Last All Night, with a smooth introduction on electric guitar and a light feminine voice for an almost idealistic mood. Then, surprise, the pace quickens, the drums heat up, the distortions fill the guitar notes and the singer hollers a I Don't Wanna Be the One You Love. Nothing is too good for Beechwood as they play at being bad boys. And it works! The disc is magnificent, we quickly succumb to the dark and mysterious charm of these prodigies. A bit Velvet on C/F, or an Alex Chilton mood on Heroin Honey. There’s no lack of references. And yet we’ll keep on saying it, Beechwood doesn’t imitate, nor does an old cut and paste of a forgotten band from the 70s! So in order to make it stick for the most obtuse minds, singer Gordon Lawrence doesn’t hesitate to break his voice on I'm Not Like Everybody Else, Isa Tineo’s drums become domineering and Sid Simons on bass unleashes a confusion of sizzling notes. Beechwood doesn’t need lessons from anyone, but it’s impossible to forget them after hearing them. © Clara Bismuth/Qobuz