The Takeoff - “Timber”
Photo by Idan Epstein
The Takeoff, from Tel Aviv and Czechia, move beyond hollow pleasures as they deliver a slice of good old-fashioned heavy Blues Rock with the majestic “Timber.”
From the very first turntable friendly notes of “Timber” the track pulses with the blood, sweat and tears of the classic 1960s Rock Gods. Even giving a “Wind Cries Mary”-like wink and nod in the prelude before entering a carefree, reflective early Jeff Beck swagger.
The track is nostalgically slow burning in the verses, but The Takeoff soon thrust us into the raucous, passionate, heavy blues sound that is resolute on shaking a smoky club. Punctuating these head-banging sections are fluid, howling, emotionally charged guitar solos that are impressively loose and improvisational. It is the type of epic technical skill mixed with feel that you only really hear in the musical chops of again Hendrix, Jeff Beck or Cream.
The vocal matches the mood of the music perfectly, serving up a pleasing authentic roughness that can only deliver these types of tracks. Raw, heartfelt, Roger Daltry would honestly struggle to cut through with the same sort of authority in the bold choruses. It is the type of performance I would maybe give to Ian Gillan if I had some super subs at hand. What more can I say except The Takeoff nail every aspect of this.
The Takeoff swing like mad on “Timber” in a way that seems determined to challenge the most stomping and rollicking jams ever captured on tape. This is 3 minutes and 47 seconds of pure unadulterated fun. The track is taken from their forthcoming debut album, Hit n’ Fly.