Chimpomatic

Robert Wyatt

Comicopera

Domino

There are few musicians of Robert Wyatt's generation who continue to approach their art with fresh thoughts and enthusiasm. Usually by the time rock musicians reach their 50's (or even their 40's) it's all over - jaded by the relentless treadmill of recording and touring, many simply give up trying to be original. You will find no such excuse making on this, the latest album from Robert Wyatt (b.1945).

Wyatt has a voice like no other - recorded solo it sounds wavering and fragile, harmonising with his own multi-tracked voice it becomes a rich silky chorus of unique character. His songwriting distinctly English, his lyrics effortlessly embracing everyday language, Wyatt's music tends towards Jazz as it's main source - the tight modal chord clusters of Bill Evans come to mind - and yet people who claim that they don't like Jazz would still find much to enjoy here.

Right away you can detect the presence of Brian Eno on this album, which is divided into three lyrically themed sections - the first section includes the melancholic Stay Tuned, and the beautiful AWOL, the second section includes Mob Rule which is not a cover of a Black Sabbath track, but Wyatt's wry observations on town planning meetings. The last group of tracks has Wyatt singing in Spanish, and all are punctuated by quirky instrumental interludes. So, not really a party album then, and an album which demands a bit of listening rather than something that's just there to set the mood. Well worth buying....and knock me dahn wiv a fevver if aint anuvver release on bleedin' Domino. Full marks for spending all that Arctic Monkeys cash on something unique.

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#HarrisPilton

8th Oct 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Pram

The Moving Frontier

Domino

Hard to believe, but the still relatively obscure Pram are in their seventeenth year of existence, and this their 9th proper album is a treasure box of harmonious wonderment. Having found a home on Domino records, the band founded by Rosie Cuckston has developed a sound which fits elegantly between label-mates Stereolab and Mouse on Mars. Musically, Pram are first cousins (if not actual siblings) of John McEntire's Tortoise, employing the elements of tuned percussion, tremelo guitar, lush brass and sampled sonic textures which lend a soundtrack feeling to the compositions but without falling into the realm of aimless noodling.

The stripped back compositions such as Moonminer or Salt & Sand expose Rosie Cuckston's folk-tinged voice in a bare and dry contrast to the pitched-down sample backings, sometimes unresolved and uncomfortable, sometimes hauntingly beautiful. Never seeming to make a chord shift in the obvious direction, the songs have an unpredictable edge which keeps the listener guessing. The ensemble pieces such as The Empty Quarter or Blind Tiger show what a great band they are, with the Trombone of Harry Dawes and Sam Owen's clarinet sounding particularly fine against the cascading keyboards and percussion.

I'm not suggesting that this album is perfect for all occasions - I think it requires the listener's attention and rewards a bit of time spent with it, but for those familiar with the output of Domino this should come as a well received addition to the collection.

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#HarrisPilton

4th Oct 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Jukebox Explosion (Rocking? Mid-90s Punkers!)

If you're going to call your band the Blues Explosion, you'd better be sure about at least two things. Firstly, that your music sounds like the detonation of a rockabilly cluster-bomb, and secondly that a sizeable chunk of the record buying public will be put-off by the word "blues" in your band name. Here in the UK "the blues" has more than a whiff of embarrassing uncle about it - a hark back to the old days rather than looking forward to the new ones.

But then, running a blues band, or any band which declares retro intentions, must be tough - it's hard to be cool without being cod. Well, JSBX managed to sidestep that by taking the punk (or post-punk) ethos and applying it to the music of 50's rebel rockers. It's a natural fit, and one that you hope ends up being closer in spirit to the original music as a result.  Maybe this is what Gene Vincent would have really sounded like if you'd been there at the time - but I doubt it. It's the kind of sideways look at a beloved music that very few artists get away with (Beefheart, Defunkt) and you can see right away why Beck and the Beastie Boys rate this band so highly.

This is a shit-kicking compilation with a good selection from the raw Shirt Jac to the pop sense of Do You Wanna Get It - taking in the angular funk of Push Some Air and the creeping theramin bass of Jailhouse Blues along the way. If you're unfamiliar with the Blues Explosion, be prepared for a mixture of production values, sonic textures and mangled vocals. If you want a starting place, check out Ghetto Mom and proceed with reckless abandon.

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#HarrisPilton

24th Sep 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet

Fire Engines

Hungry Beat

Acute Records

Perhaps there was something about being Scottish and in a band in 1981 that made a person want to sing a bit like Edwyn Collins, or maybe that's just the way people's mooths work up there. Either way, you'll not hear a more comprehensive set of mangled vowels than in this compilation by Edinburgh's Fire Engines. What? The Fire Engines, you say? The post-punk-art-punk caledonians oft mentioned in the same hushed tones as Josef K? Yes, them unfortunately. Top effort for trying and all that, but a quarter of a century later it doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.

What's wrong with it? Well, at their best on say Big Gold Dream, the Fire Engines had a pretty good ACR vibe going - you know, the white boy funk band playing a little beyond their capabilities - which ACR totally pulled off. The Fire Engines sounded like they were always playing a lot beyond their capabilities - not tight enough to achieve a convincing Talking Heads funk, smart enough for the prog punk of Magazine, or catchy enough to be Orange Juice. To be fair, a production sound which could be generously described as rudimentary has not helped matters, a fact born out by hearing what they sound like now. Uber fans Franz (Ferdinand) shared a single with Fire Engines last year, on which they covered a track of each others, but that is not included here. Thankfully.

This group really has all the correct boxes ticked: from the right place, at the right time, famous fans, famous contemporaries who achieved great things. It's just the one box that's not getting swooshed - the great and memorable songs box.

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#HarrisPilton

24th Sep 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet