The Big Nose Attack – ‘Deader Than Disco’: An album with its eyes on the 70s

And the attack continues! An attack from 2 Big Noses! An attack from The Big Nose Attack. The mothership has landed AGAIN! The second of the band's two newest albums (and their fourth overall), titled ‘Deader Than Disco’, is here.

So come on then… GET DOWN, again!

‘Hold on Jimmy! What's going to happen here?! Every time these guys drop an album, are we gonna get down?!’… What can I do, kids? It's their latest slogan. So, go… Do what you have to do! Although as I said in the previous article about ‘69’, that's not exactly what I mean, but I really like the way you're thinking!

Remember ‘69’?! Yes, the album, not the stance! (You can find our article about the band's album ‘69’ here). How about we go to the same era, but a bit later on?

As always, we start with the cover. After all, it's the first thing we notice about an album. Here the band hit the bullseye. A bit of the disco ball, a bit of that sexy butt on roller skates, and our interest is piqued to hear the record. The whole album, of course, is a nod to disco eras. But what about the sounds?

Sounds from the 70s

‘Deader Than Disco’ shows the band's great love for the 70s. There's a nostalgia for old-fashioned sound and aesthetics, without any of it sounding foreign to today's era. On the contrary, they manage to put together a musical experience that ties in ideally with today.

The album consists in total of  8 tracks, in a total of 42 minutes. What stands out, at least in terms of length, is the seven-minute ‘Heat of the Night’, which appears to be the longest song this rock duo has ever written. The overall vibe of the album comes off great. An appetite for fun. All of it in the well-known Big Nose style.

Pizzas everywhere!

A clear reference to the inside joke about pizza. The band shows a particular love for what they call the band's staple diet. Starting from an obsession that led to the search for the perfect dough and even went as far as trips to Italy. In the end, the band got to the point of eating pizza most days of the week! And that's where all those pizza Easter Eggs in their video clips come from.

Beyond the search for the perfect taste, the band shows with ‘Deader Than Disco’ a will to pay very close attention to its sound. The production and orchestration of the album are excellent (the production and release of the album are handled by Ikaros Records). The result makes the tracks sound even fuller.

All of this, in the name of the band's continuous evolution and searching. At a time when many accuse The Big Nose Attack of copying the Black Keys. The band themselves, however, seem to identify more with Jack Black. Either way, the band has certainly been influenced by the artists mentioned above. Still, their character and the touches they've added give them a unique style and feel.

On the music

The big differentiator of ‘Deader Than Disco’ is definitely its orchestration, which is richer and fuller than ever. The goal of the album – and by extension the band's goal – is to sweep us up on a journey through many musical genres. Blues, funk and soul influences, but all wrapped up in a modern package. Something like modern disco. The message is one and absolutely clear: Time to dance!

The ‘69’ was set chronologically in the year 1969. It had a classic rock hue laid over the established blues and garage palette. ‘Deader Than Disco’ takes a leap of about ten years.

With all that in mind, we're now around 1978. The band goes from power duo to power trio, with the addition of bass. Which, mind you, is very much upfront in the mix, a fact that preserves the disco roots of the album. There are also changes in the use of wind instruments, keys, synth, and second female vocals as well. On the rhythm side, groove dominates and in the end, the funkiness seems to clash with the rhythm 'n' blues. And it's right about here that the title ‘Deader Than Disco’ starts to reveal itself to us. A reference to a style that's more 'dead' – older than disco itself. A clear statement for the rock era. 

On the themes

Lots of humour and plenty of cheekiness! ‘I'm coming straight from Brahami’, as Boogie sings on the opening and title track ‘Deader Than Disco’. The first three tracks have a really fun vibe. The lyrics move in the same pattern. Loves, romances, and a mood for boogie, oogie, oogie! From loves that change our whole being (in ‘She's A Witch’), to unfulfilled desires (in ‘A Short Story About Love’).

The characters described in the tracks have strong personalities and strong behaviours. They want to 'break' everything, driven by their dynamic emotions.

Editor's Choice: ‘Change Coming On’ & ‘Heat of the Night’

Honestly, I can't settle on just one track to recommend! ‘Change Coming On’ is one of the most interesting tracks on the album. It's got something of Led Zeppelin in the riff. It manages to give us an intoxicating experience. The accompaniment of percussion and horns wraps ideally around the guitar melodies. The intro has a jam-like form and sets the mood. The groove is so strong that the song comes off almost bluesy, with the power of BB King on one hand and Rory Gallagher on the other. What a combo, my god!

‘Oh baby, I've been smoking that reefer
Oh baby, I've been smoking that reefer
But I would dive to the bottom
If your love, was a river’

On the other side of the coin, we have ‘Heat Of The Night’, the sixth and longest track on the album, which changes the landscape completely. Suddenly we're right in the 70s. Inside a disco. Bell bottoms, sunglasses, and disco lights! In the middle of steamy nights.

‘In the heat of the night
All the girls are bad
In the heat of the night
You know it drives me mad (So mad)’

In conclusion

The band's nickname came from a strange source. At some festival, a Polish guy (that's how the band members told it in an interview), after a live show, clearly drunk and with broken English, tried to describe what he'd heard and seen. Something like this, he said: ‘You were great, you sound like a big nose attack’. The line stuck, and it ended up becoming the band's name.

The band marries all of its influences together. And dresses them up, no less, with excellent orchestrations and the use of analogue-processed sounds. ‘Deader Than Disco’ is an ode to the 70s and to Blues Rock. It delivers an enjoyable and cohesive result.

In the end, I consider it extremely important that the band is renewing itself in many respects, while at the same time managing to stay true to its principles. Now the brothers from Brahamihave gone beyond the borders of Attica. They've gone beyond the borders of Greece. With their music and their style, they're responsible for a truly unique musical blend.