REVIEW: World Party, Egyptology (Enclave)

- Al Muzer

Karl Wallinger artfully pillages and plunders the mid-'60s British Invasion (in addition to a slew of other artists) for inspiration on the 15 amazing tracks that make up World Party's fourth release, Egyptology.

Working as a one-man-band, Wallinger incorporates a blast of Keith Moonish drums on the tail end of the enthusiastically bubbling opening track, "It Is Time"; calls on the Troggs and Small Faces for a bit of help with the gorgeous "Beautiful Dream"; recalls the Beatles and Electric Light Orchestra on the effervescent "Call Me Up"; summons the ghost of the Walker Brothers, Neil Diamond, Love and Paul Revere on "Vanity Fair"; 10CC in ballad mode for "She's The One"; the Beach Boys for a quick harmony interlude called, appropriately enough, "Interlude"; the Fab Four in psychedelic overdrive for "Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb"; and Traffic jamming blissfully with John Lennon on a spiffy groove known as "Hercules."

Continuing his finely-tuned aural assault with a Ten Years After-type ballad awash in a moody opulence worthy of Barclay James Harvest ("Love Is Best)," Wallinger hits a creative peak on a lonely, closing-credits ballad called "Rolling Off A Log" that segues nicely into a Traffic/Sly Stone/mid-Eastern Beck jam tagged "Strange Groove" that mutates into a Todd Rundgren/Beatles ditty titled "The Whole Of The Night" that, in turn, shifts into a funky bit of groove-fluff ("Piece Of Mind") reminiscent of a Ben Folds Five/Stones studio workout.

"This World" and "Always" close out Wallinger's best work since he saved "The Whole Of The Moon" for The Waterboys with a spaced-out bit of dream pop and a dreamy bit of space-pop that finds you hitting the replay/shuffle buttons while you feverishly begin searching stacks of CDs for Goodbye Jumbo, Private Revolution and Bang!