Paul Bibbins – Disenchantment At A Distance (REDUX)
Paul Bibbins – Disenchantment At A Distance (REDUX) – Album Review
Picture this with me…it’s 1969 at Christmastime…Paul Bibbins walks off the stage after rocking a stadium-sized crowd…gives Jimi a hi-five as they trade places…I mean…yeah…Paul’s still opening, because it’s Jimi-fucking-Hendrix y’all and even fantasies have limitations…but yeah…right at the time this sound would have been at its most revered and appreciated by the masses…maybe a snowy field full of people…I dunno…Buffalo or somewhere like that I guess…you get it…would have been a hell of a time right? Bibbins was born on a different timeline and sometimes all I feel like I can do is sympathize with the man…I can only imagine that it’s likely harder to get people to tune into something like his Disenchantment At A Distance (REDUX) record today than it would have been about sixty years ago.
I’m not saying impossible though. In fact, back when Disenchantment At A Distance was still in its infancy and just a wee lil’ ol’ EP, I remember making a point of mentioning that Paul’s got the ability to fill a space in the scene with a style of music that a lot of folks out there still desperately yearning for.
And I stand by that. Typically, I find I tend to make a lot of sense, even if you might not.
So anyhow…here we are…Paul’s EP is all grown up now and it’s become a full album! Not the oversized twenty-seven track record he put out back in 2021, but instead, a modest nine song album that does indeed contain the same four cuts you’ve read my comments on from last year in October. I’ll do my best to save ya the spiel on those tunes and give you the standard *click here if you wanna read my original thoughts* loophole like us critics love to use, but suffice it to say, I’ve got no real problem with the idea of Paul adding more to expand his Disenchantment At A Distance concept to include more tunes. Why not? I knew a dude that once put out A Never-Ending Album with every intention to continue adding to it, but he never did another damn thing with it – so kudos to Paul…if he wants to keep this story rolling along, and things make some kind of cohesive sense…like…as in, if there’s some kind of audible reason these songs belong in a set together…I mean…keep’er goin’ my good man. No complaints from me. “Bold, Beautiful…And Long Gone!” is as good an intro as any cut by Bibbins could have been I suspect…it is indeed a solid representation of what the man creates & what you’re in-store for. As a person that’s heard it many a time already, it was nice to revisit this track – but like anything anyone is ever gonna send me, I’m always lots more interested in what I haven’t heard than what I have.
I’ve made my comments on the tracks he sings on versus the songs he rocks instrumentally, so he knows where I stand on that already. That being said, I’m never gonna say he’s not a solid fit for the kind of music he’s making – Bibbins is directly choosing to emulate a very specific style and sound, so as a result, you end up with the kind of wandering, stream of consciousness type of vocals you’d have found with the original source material from back in the day. I’m not knocking what he’s doin’ on “Up 25 High” – it works…if you’re a fan of this style of Jimi-inspired music, for sure, he’s giving you more of what you love, even if it’s not necessarily advancing the genre or what it can do further than where it originally started. I dig it when he locks into the pocket of a hook like he does around the 3:40-ish mark for a bar or two, and I suppose if anything, I’d probably recommend looking at moments like those and not necessarily giving us the ol’ verse-chorus-verse kind of repetition, but not shying away from points of accessibility that the people can connect to, you feel me? “Up 25 High” does what it does and accomplishes what Paul set out to do with it I’d imagine…he’s got some neat ideas in the stuff surrounding his guitar work, and of course, his gritty axe-work remains the main highlight in the center of the spotlight at all times.
It’s always going to be interesting to hear how people that wouldn’t typically be fans of this style & sound would receive a record like this & what they’d think of it. By the time you’re done with the title-track, Paul’s already rocked you for about sixteen & a half-minutes in just a mere three tunes – and I’d reckon that for the average everyday listener out there, they might even feel like it was one big long song. Bibbins plays with such a distinct style that most people would likely have a much tougher time in separating one track from the other, and he’s kinda gonna have to live with that a little bit. Where he makes a major difference, is in tracks like “Disenchantment At A Distance (In Need Of A Good Song)” whereby listeners can really hear a memorable hook that’ll essentially be their lifeline when it comes to separating one track from another. In any event, in MY personal opinion, I still think this is probably my favorite cut in the man’s catalog – I genuinely feel like you can hear Paul putting in more effort into his vocals on this song than you arguably can in many of the others by comparison, and he leans into what is really a quality hook that’s quite irresistible when it comes right down to it. You can read my original thoughts on “Disenchantment At A Distance (In Need Of A Good Song)” by *cough clicking here, but rest assured, this cut still holds up strong, and even here in this revitalized lineup, it’s still a major highlight.
Do I expect everyone out there in this modern-day era we’re livin’ in to dig the sound of intentionally Lo-Fi Blues/Rock? No. I don’t have any illusions about that. To be fair, I don’t think that Paul does either. You make music like this out of pure love of the game, knowing that every time you pick up a guitar, you’re essentially paying your respects and homage to one of the true masters of the axe. “Wayward Son Of The Blues” might end up sounding like the scratching of sandpaper to some, but for others it’ll be a little slice of heaven…all of that’s really out of Paul’s control. People are gonna have their own individual opinions like they always do, only in this particular context, it’s much more indicative of whether or not they have any relationship with the roots of the Jimi-inspired sound. If they weren’t there, or they were never exposed to it as they grew up etc., then sure, it’s gonna be a much larger ask of them to dig into something like “Wayward Son Of The Blues” than it would be for a dedicated Hendrix fan, you follow me? That being said, Paul might also be the guy that introduces this sound & style to a whole new generation if they stumble upon his record, and lord knows if they end up going back to trace this vibe to the source material and find their way to Jimi, then Bibbins would be hailed as a hero! At the very least, I’d imagine he’d be plenty proud of a scenario like that, and rightly so. It’s always going to be fair to point out that songs like “Wayward Son Of The Blues” or music like this overall, is going to be more of an acquired taste – it was back then, and it still is now – but those that get it, get it, you dig? I have no problem listening to Paul jamming out and doing what he does – you can hear how much he loves playing, how much passion he has for this style of sound, and how he is able to get lost in the moment. That’s what really matters y’all…that YOU love doin’ what you’re doin’ – everything else is just background noise…positive or negative, comments from the rest of us don’t really matter if you’re doin’ what you love. This dude is always gonna be amplifiers-UP, makin’ that music that he truly loves.
“Thrill Walk” still rocks in my opinion…it’s one of Paul’s instrumentals. Again, I’m not gonna be the guy to say that he shouldn’t be rocking the mic if that’s what he wants to do – and I’d be the first to agree on the fact that it adds even more authenticity to the sound he’s striving to create. That being said, I’m also on the side of making music as accessible to the masses whenever possible, and in the case of Paul Bibbins, going the instrumental route actually opens up the potential for his tunes to be listened to in many ways. Usually it’s the opposite case with most artists & bands, but with Paul rocking such a defined style, and the whole stream of consciousness style of vocals having a much more niche appeal to it…yeah…I actually think that the potential reach of his music expands when it’s in instrumental form. You can read my original thoughts on “Thrill Walk” by clicking right here if you’re feeling so inclined y’all.
Annnnnnnnd…the winner of this year’s unannounced contest for most accurate song title is…*checks notes…Mr. Paul Bibbins, for the song “Napoleons Wear The Big Hats!” *the crowd roars, obviously. I mean, he ain’t wrong, right? For a second there, or, close to a minute I suppose, it seemed like Paul was gonna go the instrumental route in the mid-section of this record, but he’s jumped back onto the mic nearly a sixty-seconds into “Napoleons Wear The Big Hats!” These are the spots where I feel like there could be a little bit of resistance from listeners in the sense that, yes, there are noticeable differences that exist on a track like this in comparison to the rest of the lineup, but they’re still differences being made within a very firm set of parameters – make sense? I suppose the best way to put it, is that the vast majority of what changes from song to song is going to be a lot more noticeable and quantified by Paul himself, as opposed to the audience tuning in. Even as a person that’s got an ear for this stuff, I know there are still pinch points where a record like this does feel like you’re getting more of the same, even when it’s different – everyone still following me here? It’s tough to explain I suppose…and it’s even tougher to advocate on behalf of Paul making major differences when he’s chosen to go after such an extremely specific style of sound. Any deviation from what he’s looking to create in that regard, wouldn’t be true to the vision he’s trying to stay within…which in itself is an interesting dichotomy, ain’t it – conforming to a non-conformist’s sound? You almost have to wonder what Jimi would think about all that. Hopefully he’d take it as the intended compliment it’s meant to be…imitation being the most sincere form of flattery and all that…I dunno…Paul’s nailed the sound he’s looking for as far as I can tell.
To be truthful, I don’t know how I ended up with this record in the sense that, I don’t really think there’s anything substantial I could tell Paul about his music that he wouldn’t already know. I don’t think he’s delusional by any sense – he knows there are going to be people that dig on tracks like “Woman Across The Garden Wall” and records like these, people that aren’t, and the reasons why they’d feel either way. For myself personally, I enjoy slipping into someone else’s world for a spin through their set-list, and kind of find myself imagining what it’d be like to create the music I’m listening to. I listen to tracks like “Woman Across The Garden Wall” and I feel like you can hear Paul trippin’ right out into the whole vibe of the late 60s, more than happy to revisit the sound he truly loves most. At the core of it all, he shares that with so many people out there…young & old, there are still so many fans of that loose-meets-tight style of sound that didn’t ever focus on being too produced or polished. You listen to a record like this, and believe me, you can infer what Paul’s opinion of the state of modern music would be just by listening to what he creates, and how. You know he’d be practically repulsed by the slick production, overuse of effects, and certainly the use of AI for anything. I’m sure that Bibbins is quite a purest in that regard…real instruments…flaws and all, just be into what you’re doin’ and connect with the music in the moment…you know, not to stereotype the era or anything, but that quintessential hippie attitude. At the end of the day, he’s more like a curator doing his best to preserve an authentic sound so many love.
He brought back “Vista Valley Drift” for another spin on the full-length version of Disenchantment At A Distance (REDUX), because hey, why not? It was a good tune back then, it’s still a stellar instrumental ride now…no harm in taking another trip with this track y’all. Am I gonna write about it as intensely as I did the first time I reviewed it? Heck no! I’m a lazy sloth, as you can clearly tell I’m sure. I’ve taken every opportunity I can to say click here if you wanna read my original thoughts – and I just did it again.
So look…I’ll be real with you in the sense that I do believe Paul still has room to create more separation in his sound from track to track in ways that most listeners would notice, not just the most dedicated ones. Does that mean he has to compromise what he’s doing in order to achieve that? I’ll be honest – I don’t really know…it might…it might. And if that’s the case, then obviously I’m not here to advocate on behalf of going in that direction – all I want Paul to do is keep on keepin’ on and doin’ what he loves to do – why would anyone sincerely wanna make music for any other reason? Turn up the amplifiers, let yourself loose, and have some damn fun – end of story, full stop. “As Love Rears Its Pretty Little Head” ends the record with some of his best lyricism, which still retains that hippie perspective and spirit for sure, but I have always felt like he’s got something interesting to say, even if the lyrics/vocals don’t end up ever feeling like the main priority in what he creates. I think you have to acknowledge Paul as a different kind of communicator, and you certainly have to admire how effective he actually IS in that regard. Sure it might not necessarily be through the words, but it’s definitely there in the music and the overall vibe itself – you know what I mean? It’s not like I get these records and have a booklet that tells me he’s going for the Jimi sound – it’s something you can HEAR in the style, in the spirit, in the way that Paul sings and in the way he plays – and that is genuinely effective communication in action dear readers, dear friends. Make no mistake – just because the construction is loose doesn’t mean it’s not tight in a completely different way…Bibbins has achieved what he’s set out to do, and I feel like you’ve really gotta admire what he’s accomplished in that respect. “As Love Rears Its Pretty Little Head” was a solid choice as the record’s conclusion…at least for now…we’ve gone from what was once a four track EP to a lineup of nine songs…but he’s still about eighteen short of the massive benchmark he set on The Last Perfect Performance. You just never know y’all – he might not be completely done with Disenchantment From A Distance just yet, redux or otherwise…so stay tuned music-fans, stay tuned.
Find out more about Paul Bibbins from his official website at: https://paulbibbins.com
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