Wild Dreams (10” vinyl)
Messed Up Trio
Released: 2024
Wild Records
Reviewed: 20th January 2025
Genre: Rockabilly
Produced by: Janne Vuorinen
Band members: Tumppi - Upright Bass - Janne - Guitar/Vocals - Antti - Drums
Track by track…
The Messed Up Trio’s second album commences with a slow, portentous fade-in to a souped-up ‘Stray-Cat-Strut’ of a tune by the name of ‘The Struggle (against who?)’ utilising a crunchy, reverb-laden blues signature that pretty much establishes the tone of the album in its entirety. ‘Hard to Get’ is a Blue-Moon-Baby-esque shuffle, followed by the Stonesy/Last Time gallop of ‘Mightier Than the Sword’. ‘11 Days’ adds another 6 to Gene’s hoodlum lament and rolls along in an orderly fashion before ramping up for the choruses’ and solo, bringing more gravel than a Caterpillar dumpster truck! The title track (nearly), ‘Wild Dream’, is a tough shuffle reminiscent of the Kings of Hong Kong, and rounding off side one is a mental instrumental by the name of ‘Astalo Surf’, which could be the perfect theme tune to the action game that shares its name and a worthy addition to any modern surf compilation.
Perhaps the alternative funeral song, ‘Lay Me to Rest’, might raise the dead, and ‘The Snake Dance’, with its suggestive Arabian guitar flourishes, will make you glad of the resurrection. ‘Wrong Woman’ brings an unexpected welcome of a ska drop-down just when you thought you’d heard it all. Howlin’ Wolf’s gruff drag gets the ‘hurry up’ treatment with ‘You Can Run’. ‘Long Time No Joy’ (for me, the album’s standout) again utilises those Arabian/Misirlou flourishes we heard on ‘The Snake Dance’. ‘From The Other Side’ brings us full circle with yet another variation of the Smokestack Lightning/Suzie Q-type riff, which establishes itself as the staple that pretty much holds this whole deal together. All in all, Wild Dreams is rockabilly with a sandbag-heavy blues infusion.
In summary…
Wild Dreams by Finland’s Messed Up Trio: brought to you by Wild Records, straight outta Hollywood, baby! In a neighbourhood crowded with Gretsch ‘n’ Stand-up bass trios, you better be packing something extra. Luckily, this Messed Up Trio brings a rough ‘n’ tumble blues sensibility to the party with this, their second album, Wild Dreams. WD shares much of its DNA with the Excellos and Dale Hawkins, with some top-notch guitar slinging from singer/songwriter and producer Janne Vuorinen, whose guttural delivery is reminiscent of Urban Voodoo’s Machine’s Paul Ronney-Angel. A concrete-solid rhythm section, courtesy of Tumppi Hummasti and Antti Turunen, drives Wild Dreams away from being a Pedestrian Avenue mess-around to jumping pavements on Bop Street. There’s little variation across these twelve tracks, but that somehow pulls the whole shebang into one solid-gone slab of hard-rockin’ goodness. A Marcel Bontempi circus freak-show masterpiece graces the 10" vinyl cover art, which amounts to a one-two onslaught of sound and vision, making Wild Dreams a welcome addition to anyone's collection.
Everybody, mess around! Get messed up! Get Wild Dreams from the Messed Up Trio!
Reviewed by: A D Stranik
Track List:
A1 The Struggle (Against Who?)
A2 Hard To Get
A3 Mightier Than Sword
A4 11 Days
A5 Wild Dream
A6 Astalo Surf
B1 Lay Me To Rest
B2 The Snake Dance
B3 Wrong Woman
B4 You Can Run...
B5 Long Time No Joy
B6 From The Other Side
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