Now you hear it and now you don’t. I mean talent, that is. Not parrots or De Loreans but talent and you can hear the talent in “#3“ by Archi Deep and the Monkeyshakers. In the interests of appearing professional, I probably should have done some research on who Archi Deep and the Monkeyshakers actually are but, in truth, they do the kind of music that is designed to hit you hard so you don’t really have to analyse it although you could if you had the inclination. You could think about it, as I did, or you could just get out of its way on its way to the bar. I thought and made my choice.
Yeah and verily, “Nowhere Man and “I’m On The Run” comes out of this band’s musical corner like a contender for the Jim Jones Revue’s crown. Fighting the true rock ‘n’ roll fight seems to be the plan, at least initially, but there are more than strings to this band’s guitar and “High Minds” duly throws in an appreciation of acoustically stripped out pop with some cleverly integrated larceny from the back catalogue of some rather popular Liverpool lads.
Honesty is otherwise key to this album with “I Can See” rolling on down the rock highway with a casual swagger and “If Only It Was Sunny” ironing out its kinks with purposeful strides towards the sunset. Not many bands can do substance and style simultaneously these days but Archi Deep and the Monkeyshakers can.
Although it’s an apparently simple thing that Archi Deep and The Moneyshakers do, they do it well and that’s something that I’ll raise my glass to that any day of the week. By the way, it turns out that they are a French band. Who would have figured that?