There are always releases that stand out from the crowd. Whether it's that the packaging has been designed particularly beautifully and elaborately or that it is a particularly rare edition.
YELLOW UMBRELLA from Dresden, a ska institution, like The Busters, have not released a new album in seven years, but have always played diligently, and this band is indispensable in the scene.
The last album “Hooligans of Love“ (the review of this album can be read here: https://www.ramtatta.de/s/reviews/f/details/id/7888/ ) not only countered the unfortunately still prevailing bad mood and latent aggression in society with its title, but the album was also widely noted musically.
YELLOW UMBRELLA has now been around for 30 years. A good time to puff out their cheeks, and in 2024, there will be two albums from the band.
One is “The Yellow Album” and the other is “The Black Album.” The Hives had a similar title with “The Black and White Album” (which I think is also one of the best albums by The Hives).
Wasn't there also a band from the USA that released a black album? What were they called again?
So YELLOW UMBRELLA finds themselves in good company.
The band from Dresden has been stylistically very diverse for many years. They offer the finest 2-Tone, lively ska, but also relaxed reggae sound.
The band from the capital of Saxony has divided the styles on their double release.
On “The Black Album,” there are nine songs, just like on “The Yellow Album,” but these songs offer much more speed.
On “The Black Album,” YELLOW UMBRELLA shows that they can play wonderfully beautiful melodies. The style is more or less ska wrapped in a portion of pop, 2-Tone, jazz, klezmer, and Caribbean sound. The songs enchant and hardly let you sit still. You want to move, dance...the songs create a good mood.
The dreary weather is forgotten, and the dark thoughts seem to be wiped away. A grin appears on the face, good mood builds up...the music is a small dose of positive feelings. Three songs are recorded with guest singer Brandy San Marino. She gives the songs a unique touch.
The whole album, despite its wide stylistic range, offers a lot of groove from the very first second. It’s simply fun to listen to.
The long wait for a new album has been worth it.
With “The Black Album,” YELLOW UMBRELLA emphasizes their status, which they also share stylistically with the band from Wiesloch, The Busters.
For style purists, the Dresdners may not be anything anymore.
For everyone who likes ska and related genres and doesn’t listen to music with blinders on, they will enjoy this black album. I promise that.
I’m pressing play again, turning the volume knob a little further to the right, and letting YELLOW UMBRELLA take me to another world for a good half hour.
The review of “The Yellow Album” can be read at ramtatta.de at:
