Roses Kings Castles

For those who only know of Adam Ficek (AKA Roses Kings Castles) as ‘just’ Babyshambles’ drummer, this record is going to shock you, in a good way.

Like when you drink what you think is water, but it’s actually lemonade, and the inital surprise slowly makes way for joyous glee. His swaggering suburbia pop combines melancholic tones with energetic folk-rock melodies. As the drums, piano and guitar of the hopping ‘Sparkling Bootz’ kick in, it is refreshing to think Ficek played all the instruments himself.
‘Never Certain’ screams Morrissey, and the fitful strumming of Ficek makes this one a pinnacle of the record. Once a promising drummer, Ficek can now be regarded as an astounding multi-instrumentalist.