I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a pop underground in Munich, or anywhere else for that matter, yet that most likely mystical place is where The Sound Of Money hail from. Will there therefore be magic to be found in their album “Two: Rhyme On”?
Any album that is subtitled an anagrammatical exorcism of the seventies is bound to have some intellectual pretensions and, indeed, The Sound of Money have the kind of quirky deconstructed musical moves that would be right at home in in cabaret country. That said, this band would also be prime contenders for having the best song title ever with “Dr Dr Themefart Frustrating Himself Posed As Gay Old Nazi SS“ and it has also to be said that there is entertainment value in reverse engineering the song titles on this album back into the source seventies album title but don’t expect to be able to simply determine said album titles from the music itself as these word puzzles contain few sonic clues or cues that relate to the original inspiration.
Anyway, in a one for my baby and one for the road moment, it became clear to me that The Sound of Money are actually ardent popsters with enough in the way of artistic pretensions to make even a cappuccino drinker stay for a second cup. All that is here is professionally presented and there is no doubting either the musical skill that is on display or the wry humour that sneaks into the entirely English lyrics and, as indicated by the ease by which this band switches between retro and cabaret revisionism, The Sound of Money clearly worship complexity.
Best Song: “U.T.C” - closest to the feel of an actual seventies song.
Verdict: Clever.