Album Review: Tim Rogers & The Bamboos - The Rules of Attraction

Don’t worry, folks, You Am I aren’t ‘over’ and this isn’t Tim Rogers’ new band.

In fact, for those who don’t know, Melbourne collective The Bamboos have been making powerful funk and soul for a good 14 years or so. Their 2012 collaborative single, I Got Burned proved a great synchronicity, so further studio exploration was inevitable. It’s a great fit. Rogers’ cigarettes-and-alcohol-seasoned larynx lends itself spectacularly to a big band. The devilishly funky S.U.C.C.E.S.S is so immediately motivating, it should be sound-chipped into a Timmy ‘bobblehead’ alarm clock and sold at Thingz for $40.

Bandleader Lance Ferguson knows exactly when to tighten or loosen the reins – a challenge with nine (admittedly fantastic) musicians all vying for airspace – so Easy, Me And A Devil and the horny horns of On Time all have a chaotic harmony, while You Can’t Kill A Man Twice and closer, Walk Away, Keep Talking are more controlled yet smooth. And then there’s Did I Wake You?, in which Rogers delivers his most swooning vocal ever, placing a bittersweet kiss to the forehead of his backstabbing lover on the deck of a ‘70s cruise liner heading into the sunset. It’s a beautiful sparring with Kylie Auldist, who once again sparkles as the band’s regular lead.

This is a collaboration that’s brought out the best in both Tim Rogers and The Bamboos, proving the old adage that opposites attract.