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Bunny and the Lakers
Creations from the Ivory Tower
Iniquitoria - 2023
Michael Panontin
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Some forty-four years after the release of their debut album, Numbers, Bunny and the Lakers are back with a follow-up. But while that first record - a left-field mix of quirky electronics, abrasive noise and lo-fi jazz-funk - would have been a bit of a shock to those few who actually got to hear it, Creations from the Ivory Tower surprises for a completely different reason.
Unlike its predecessor, Creations from the Ivory Tower is surprisingly catchy. It feels like a lost artifact from the late seventies/early eighties, an admittedly formative time for the group's founder Andrew Sherwood. "I was in London from January 1980 through November 1987," he told CM. "Simple Minds' New Gold Dream was in its entirety an anthem LP for the UK. Ultravox! (the exclamation point essential as it indicates John Foxx association) were always remarkable. And Roxy Music's For Your Pleasure was an LP I listened to for several years."
As the name suggests, Creations from the Ivory Tower is a product of Sherwood's time in academia. "The tracks were done while I was university faculty. Academic conferences were an opportunity to present academic ideas in musical form. Each piece was done within time constraints (acceptance of the conference, carrying a 4/4 teaching load on tenure track responsibilities, and the conference itself, usually involving travel)," he notes, adding that "it was poorly received, as academics are generally not creative types".
That said, there's nothing stuffy about this music. In fact, the true touchstone here seems to be Roxy Music's second incarnation, specifically their trilogy of Manifesto, Flesh and Blood and Avalon. Fans of those records will definitely find plenty to savour, from those glistening synths to Sherwood's silky Ferry-esque vocal phrasing. If there is any influence from that ivory tower, it can be found in the slower, almost ruminative nature of the music. Save for the more upbeat 'Don't Be Shy about the Dark', the bulk of Creation... is given over to longer - six minutes plus or minus - tracks set to a backdrop of dreamy electronic rhythms.
Creations from the Ivory Tower was pressed up in an extremely limited run of just 200 CDs. And while the record may have arrived four decades late, it certainly proves the old adage that good things really do come to those who wait.
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