Rock music, in every incarnation, respects no national border. Though marquee Hall of Fane acts typically hail from England and the United States, there are a number of talented and legendary acts hailing from an assortment of other European countries. Tom Tikka’s Scandinavian upbringing exposed him to rock music at a relatively tender age and, like so many around the world, something about these three chords and the truth spoke to Tikka’s heart and blossoming sensibilities. Many years removed from that formative time, Tom Tikka teams with the Missing Hubcaps to produce a compelling three track EP entitled Working Class Voodoo and he’s sure to leave his mark on 2020 despite the short nature of this release.
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Tikka’s songwriting is rife with quirky yet significant detail and meshes well with the EP’s musical arrangements. I think it sounds clear that, like many songwriters and musicians, Tikka works up the songs as music demos before even contemplating the lyrical content for any particular track. This is especially obvious with the title song and first cut “Working Class Voodoo”. Some of the phrasing in this track sounds specifically designed with decisive syllables that act as added percussion in the song. Guitars make their presence felt, but never exert too much muscle and overpower the cut’s melodic strengths. Another aspect of the recording reinforcing the melodic fabric of the song is Tikka’s decision to utilize vocal harmonies in important passages of the track.
He doubles down on the harmonies with the second track “Daytime Suffering” and they constitute a low key but key component in what makes this song a success. Tikka and the song’s production dial up the guitar work on this track compared to the title song but it is still six string fireworks that serve the song rather than acting as a “look at me! look at me!” moment. He adopts a bit more stylishness with his lead vocal and takes obvious pleasure delivering the song’s lyrics.
Tikka brings Working Class Voodoo to an end with the track “What Is Love?” This is closing statement that aims high both musically and lyrically but it’s asking one of those all the marbles questions a four minute pop song can only pretend, at best, to answer. The tandem of guitars and drums thus far dominating the EP musically continue their reign for this final track though they are employed in a much more selective manner than before. The effect of “What Is Love?” is cumulative rather than centering around a single moment.
If there’s a weak spot on this EP, it’s “Daytime Suffering” and any criticism of that is faint indeed. Working Class Voodoo is, in the end, a winning solo release from one half of The Impersonators and a woefully underappreciated songwriting talent who gets his opportunity to shine singly with this release. The three songs included on this studio recording are as honest and unadorned as they get; moreover, they stick in the memory long after you hear them for the first time.
Troy Johnston