"Confusion (Slight Paranoia)" by Orange River Remedy

This review is possibly (sorry) going to be one of my weirder ones.

Let me explain. Orange River Remedy kindly sent me their song "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)"  (produced by Barry Bayliss at Gospel Oak Studios)  in November 2022 at the same time as their debut single  "Rollin' On", (which is featured on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Nine‘ as well).

At that time, it was scheduled to be the follow-up though "BB33" in fact came out in the meantime. In November of last year, it seemed that its time had finally come, but various issues have delayed it until today, meaning that I've had a whole three years to mull over its merits and quite a few of my impressions below were drafted a fair while ago. Not that my substantive views have changed: it just constitutes something of a personal record. I'd note too that Orange River Remedy are a band so obviously steeped in the traditions of classic rock music as to pretty timeless: they are a long way from being ephemeral musical bandwagon jumpers.

Likewise, no one can accuse Orange River Remedy with saturating the market with hastily put together material: they set their quality control to same high level for recordings as they do to their live show.

As Rikki told me, they originally had it in mind for their debut album (please watch this space for that) and only the plethora of really strong material they're putting together for that has prompted a rethink, choosing instead to put it out as a single ahead of the long player.

Played with their normal panache and obvious love for what they are doing (they are one of those bands who when you see them live seem to be enjoying themselves even more than those watching), this song is a superb advertisement for just how well they both groove & swing even at low revs.

Lottie Pennington is known for her powerhouse drumming & this song gives her a chance to demonstrate her range & ability to be inventive & subtle at slower speeds & less volume.

In fact the whole track is a compendium of showcase moments: the vocal harmonies, the guitar solo, harmonica, guest Dan Sealey on organ all add up to another mesmerising track which so easily captures your affections that you don't immediately notice the complexity of the structure or arrangement. Clever stuff.

Lyrically, the Orange River Remedy approach already seems pretty diverse. Their debut certainly fitted with the good time vibe which permeates their exceptionally popular live performances. That the follow-up addressed their pride in their cousin's achievements seems a perfectly understandable detour. "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)" is cut from very different cloth to its predecessors, yet on reflection I'm not sure that we should be too shocked. Sunny optimism & enjoyment of life may characterise the way they play gigs, but a closer glance at their setlists reveals plenty of covers of darker & more unsettling songs from that late 60's/early 70s period which so shapes their sound. When I first heard Rikki & Tyron play, they were a trio with their brother Dylan & a standout was a version of "A Quick One, While He's Away": a bold choice musically but also a song which touches upon child abuse. Equally they are big Neil Young fans (one of the things they've been so busy doing is  recreating his ‘Harvest' in a series of  concerts with the help of Dan) and his repertoire is hardly light in tone is it?

Now I wouldn't wish to leave you with the impression that "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)" goes anywhere near subjects like paedophilia, heroin abuse or genocide: it's more about personal identity & relationships. However they've taken a significant step away from what Rikki identified as a "comedic" element in "BB33" and the intensity of the way they play & especially sing is noticeably higher: the sort of level typical of their gigs in fact.

In fact all the evidence is that they are a band who like to imbue their songs with balanced emotions: nothing too extreme in any single direction but nothing bland nor inauthentic either: adult songs for grown-up audiences who want something to get their teeth into.

It will be most interesting to see the variety of approaches they adopt across their album. Though when I can tell you about that is not something I dare to predict.