It’s an album!! That’s what’s written on the homepage of the band YELLOW UMBRELLA from Dresden. More specifically, it’s their eighth album, featuring 14 songs and coming in a stylish digipack. It’s an album that will be released on the legendary ska label Pork Pie from Berlin, aiming to make the dark season more enjoyable.
YELLOW UMBRELLA plays (jazzy) reggae-ska, which is mostly nicely situated in mid-tempo. This makes the songs all pleasantly danceable, but also lovely to listen to while spending a cozy afternoon with a loved one.
The seven-member band from Dresden holds back quite a bit lyrically on the album. The songs sometimes consist only of short texts and some even come without any vocals at all. As with their previous albums, “A Thousand Faces” incorporates various musical styles, such as Arabic music in the song “Almanya,” where the band receives vocal support from Dr. Volkanikman. The song takes you on a journey to Arabia. In another song, the band is supported by Dr. Ring Ding.
With the mid-tempo songs and the use of piano and a strong brass section, the songs also evoke thoughts of jazz from days gone by. Either I’ve seen too many American films from the '50s and '60s, or the music of YELLOW UMBRELLA really fits in well with that.
The 14 songs on the CD are varied, technically high-level, and consistently pleasant to dance to. “A Thousand Faces” proves the musical class of the band. It’s a nice, chill record that will surely spin a few more rounds in my home CD player.
