Australian instrumentalists Surprise Chef’s marvellous debut LP All News Is Good News recalls mavericks such as David Axelrod, Beastie Boys and Money Mark

After taking a step back from the steep studio costs and sampledelic production methods of Paul’s Boutique, the Beastie Boys built their own studio and learnt to play their instruments again/properly. Add keyboardist/master carpenter Mark Ramos Nishita (aka Money Mark) and producer Mario Caldato Jr into the mix and say hello to the masterpiece Check Your Head. That the Beasties circa Check Your Head was one of the first things that sprang to mind upon encountering Surprise Chef (via a couple of tracks on a Mr Bongo listing) is high praise indeed.

An instrumental soul collective straight out of Melbourne, Surprise Chef gave their debut a limited release on their own College of Knowledge label in late 2019. The response from those in the know was incredibly positive, with a sold out run and a deal with the fine folks at Mr Bongo, who are giving All News Is Good News the wider release it deserves. Make no mistake, this might be an underground instrumental record, but it has the potential to soar beyond any genre confines.

The title track floats in like David Axelrod and meets up with Money Mark along the way; a snaking soul-jazz groove with dreamy percussion of the sort beloved by switched-on hip hop producers searching for the perfect break. “Herbie Hemphill” dabbles in lounge sleaze as it executes ramped up beats for a head nodding experience par excellence, while “Blyth Street Nocturne” recalls the lo-fi outsider version of Mo’ Wax demonstrated by Sukia. Sunlit jazz is fed into proceedings with “Yung Boi Suite” whereas “Crayfish Caper” offers up a 1970s exploitation flick library music theme. The title of alien-avant-garde-in-the-toyshop finale “Mario’s Lament” might even appear to conflate Mario C and Ill Communication cut “Eugene’s Lament” if one were taking the Beasties thinking too far…. There are delights around every corner, whether beats, breaks or the invigorating charm of the record’s loudly beating heart.

David Axelrod and the Beasties remain touchstones throughout, but the tracks across All News Is Good News are never mere facsimiles. It’s more about the ways that Surprise Chef evoke the scope and sensitivity of Axelrod’s productions or how their playing brings to mind the live instrumentation of Check Your Head – sounding at once jammed and like the most perfectly programmed hip hop source material. It therefore feels apposite to report that All News Is Good News is most definitely finger lickin’ good, y’all.

Surprise Chef at Mr Bongo Records

Stewart Gardiner
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