LadyDot Review: Caravan Palace - MAD

LadyDot Review: Caravan Palace – “MAD”

Bang Bang Bang! Caravan Palace – A Band That Never Ceases To Surprise Us!

October definitely belonged to Caravan Palace. As well as releasing their new single MAD after a three-year hiatus, they additionally announced a 2024 tour. I also got to the information that we can expect the release of a new album in spring 2024 (I wrote about this in an article in the Electro Swing News series, HERE). Caravan Palace have been surprising us for years now by popping up suddenly in the Electro Swing music industry – usually when we totally don’t expect it. In my 91st LadyDot Review, I’ll tell you about “MAD” and I hope you’ll go mad with me for this single!

“MAD” – The Darker Side Of Electro Swing

When I saw the first teaser announcing the release of the new track, I immediately connected the dots (LadyDot’s dots, haha!): okay, Caravan Palace is again preparing an animated video, they are back again after a long break in October, the month in which we celebrate Halloween… But this time they have prepared for us a track kept in a slightly dark mood, filled with melancholic old-style swing rhythms and a lot of melody coming from the brass. Oh, I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t pause for a moment on the subject of wind instruments. Usually we associate the sound of these instruments with a cheerful mood, but here Caravan Palace shows us a different, more mysterious, spooky and dark side of Electro Swing, which I really, really like! There are none of the frenetic electronic effects here that you had the chance to hear in the single released three years ago – ‘Supersonics – Out Come the Freaks’. The strong bass in the background and the subtle beats of the drum pad combine wonderfully with Zoé’s slightly hushed, whispery and warm voice, which perfectly puts us in that autumnal melancholic mood. I love it!

STREAM MAD HERE

Caravan Palace – They Keep Driving Us MAD And Rock It For Us!

My adventure with Caravan Palace‘s music started a very long time ago – with the song ‘Rock It for Me’, released on the 2013 album “Panic” and inspired by Stuff Smith’s wonderful swing timeless banger – ‘It Ain’t Right’ from 1936. And as I listened to the single ‘MAD’, the association with this song immediately came to mind. Did you too, listening to this new release, find yourself singing along with Zoé – “Ain’t nobody and ain’t no right, go away, bang bang bang” – and listening to “Rock It for Me” – “It ain’t right, babe, no, it ain’t right, no no”? If so, we’re definitely on the same team. 😊
Of course, while listening to the single ‘MAD’, I also had a lot of thoughts about what the whole album will be like. Will it be similar to this new song, or will it be melancholic, in a nostalgic style? I think not, but that’s just my opinion. Don’t you think it would be a bit strange if an album containing only these calm, subdued songs was suddenly released in the spring? Caravan Palace always know how to balance their moods perfectly and it hasn’t happened yet that they have released an album with songs kept only in one climate. This is what I love most about them – that touch of uncertainty, mystery and the ability to surprise their fans when they least expect it!

Caravan Palace Fans Went Mad For The Single ‘MAD’!

I like to go into the comments section under music videos on YouTube sometimes – that way I can confront my opinion on a particular song with the opinions of other fans. And do you know what I think? That many artists (not only Electro Swing artists) could envy Caravan Palace just for all those faithfully waiting and supporting fans, who speak so warmly about the single “MAD” and thank them for the fact that their music brings a lot of joy to the listeners and puts them in a great mood. I can’t help but also thank Caravan Palace for their creativity, the consistently high quality of their songs over the years and for “MAD”, which I can listen to over and over again and will probably never get bored of. As well as most of Caravan Palace’s hits, such as ‘Lone Digger’, ‘Wonderland’, ‘Mighty’, ‘Plume’, ‘Dramophone’, ‘We Can Dance’… I could go on and on, but there is only one conclusion: the Caravan Palace will always have a special place in my heart. And I think in your hearts too. 😉

Written & reviewed by LadyDot (Ja, Wizeruk) Date: 2023-11-13

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Bio – LadyDot

Anna (LadyDot) was born in ’94, but always felt she came from the Golden Twenties. “Polka” in Polish means “girl from Poland”, so she’s “Polka in polka dots”. She loves vintage style and spontaneous travels around Europe. But her greatest love (apart from her husband) is of course music, especially Electro Swing, Funk, Swing Hop and French Electronic Music.

Anna works at a Polish music label, where she coordinates the physical production of CDs and vinyl records. Music is therefore not only her passion, but also her job!