Singles round-up Hercules and Love Affair, The Skuzzies + more (single review)
Hercules and Love Affair - 'You Belong' (EMI) 9th June
Edwyn Collins - 'Home Again' (Heavenly) 16th June
The Skuzzies - 'Dissatisfied EP' (Framingo) 26th May
Jaymay - 'Ill-willed Person' (Heavenly) Out Now
A recent article by aging rock critic Simon Reynolds in Frieze magazine (a publication dedicated to modern visual art, natch) suggested that modern rock criticism might lack the iconic urgency of the past. Blaming the lack of good bands- no more Public Enemies, apparently- he did acknowledge that criticism might still be flourishing on the web, somewhere. He also worried that modern magazines simply don’t give enough space over to reviews.
It is questionable whether these motley singles actually desire criticism. All of them are mired in the past- whether charmingly like Jaymay, or appropriately, like Edwin Collins. None of them could bear the sort of Marxist critique that was regularly aimed at new bands in the 1980s, being mostly recollections of reflexive pop or rock gestures. Since they are so easily compared to other artists, they stink slightly of product rather than art: there is no real sense behind any of these that the desire for self-expression drives the performers.
Given the problems that veteran Edwyn Collins has weathered in the last few years, it is nice to hear him working- even if he is sleepwalking through Home Again. As comfortable as the title suggests, Collins croons quite unevenly over a whispering acoustic shamble. There is something sweet about an older man actually making music that suits his age- hell, it’s either this or Jagger jumping about like he needs a piss- but there’s nothing here that is sharp or twisted. Too ragged for the radio, but too generic to really remain in the memory.
You Belong has high camp vocals, a disconcerting lyric that suggests a slave auction rather than a sexy nightclub and a disembodied electro beat and melody recalling the early nineties. Hercules and Love Affair are kitsch superstars, chasing the flashing lights and glittering stomp of the gay disco: the slightly lonely voices hint at a despair behind the artificial glamour. But, like Collins, it is all rather second hand. It is almost comforting.
The Skuzzies are not comforting: they might be astonishingly stupid or have a strong sense of humour. The first line- ‘Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a petrol bomb’- might be Ramones’ smart, but the light ska and heavy punk backing (along with a vocal that owes too much to Joe Strummer) doesn’t suggest that much sly nous. Quite simply, if you like a punk knees-up, you’ll like this.
All three singles betray a fascination with clearly defined genre: punk, disco, country crooning. Despite the lack of surface similarity, they are all victims of a commercial impulse- an impulse that eschews experimentalism, aiming instead for a category and constituency. Writing about music like this is closer to comparing tins of soup than analysing painting.
That isn’t to say that they are bad: none of them really risk enough to make major mistakes. Our last entry, Jaymay, sounds a bit like Macy Gray doing Bob Dylan. Over a very boring backing track- the instrumental version is overpowered by the whir of the CD player- she tells a story of a relationship that goes nowhere. It isn’t hate-filled, or passionate. It is just vague friendship.
It’s a shame that the musicians mistook stealing the one-finger organ part from Like A Rolling Stone for creativity, because she can sing, and her phrasing has an awkward idiosyncrasy. There is an optimism about the whole thing that is far from unpleasant. Perhaps she could team up with The Skuzzies, who would give her music some bite, get Collins to write the lyrics and Hercules to remix it.
By Gareth Vile
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Edwyn Collins - 'Home Again' (Heavenly) 16th June
The Skuzzies - 'Dissatisfied EP' (Framingo) 26th May
Jaymay - 'Ill-willed Person' (Heavenly) Out Now
A recent article by aging rock critic Simon Reynolds in Frieze magazine (a publication dedicated to modern visual art, natch) suggested that modern rock criticism might lack the iconic urgency of the past. Blaming the lack of good bands- no more Public Enemies, apparently- he did acknowledge that criticism might still be flourishing on the web, somewhere. He also worried that modern magazines simply don’t give enough space over to reviews.
It is questionable whether these motley singles actually desire criticism. All of them are mired in the past- whether charmingly like Jaymay, or appropriately, like Edwin Collins. None of them could bear the sort of Marxist critique that was regularly aimed at new bands in the 1980s, being mostly recollections of reflexive pop or rock gestures. Since they are so easily compared to other artists, they stink slightly of product rather than art: there is no real sense behind any of these that the desire for self-expression drives the performers.
Given the problems that veteran Edwyn Collins has weathered in the last few years, it is nice to hear him working- even if he is sleepwalking through Home Again. As comfortable as the title suggests, Collins croons quite unevenly over a whispering acoustic shamble. There is something sweet about an older man actually making music that suits his age- hell, it’s either this or Jagger jumping about like he needs a piss- but there’s nothing here that is sharp or twisted. Too ragged for the radio, but too generic to really remain in the memory.
You Belong has high camp vocals, a disconcerting lyric that suggests a slave auction rather than a sexy nightclub and a disembodied electro beat and melody recalling the early nineties. Hercules and Love Affair are kitsch superstars, chasing the flashing lights and glittering stomp of the gay disco: the slightly lonely voices hint at a despair behind the artificial glamour. But, like Collins, it is all rather second hand. It is almost comforting.
The Skuzzies are not comforting: they might be astonishingly stupid or have a strong sense of humour. The first line- ‘Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a petrol bomb’- might be Ramones’ smart, but the light ska and heavy punk backing (along with a vocal that owes too much to Joe Strummer) doesn’t suggest that much sly nous. Quite simply, if you like a punk knees-up, you’ll like this.
All three singles betray a fascination with clearly defined genre: punk, disco, country crooning. Despite the lack of surface similarity, they are all victims of a commercial impulse- an impulse that eschews experimentalism, aiming instead for a category and constituency. Writing about music like this is closer to comparing tins of soup than analysing painting.
That isn’t to say that they are bad: none of them really risk enough to make major mistakes. Our last entry, Jaymay, sounds a bit like Macy Gray doing Bob Dylan. Over a very boring backing track- the instrumental version is overpowered by the whir of the CD player- she tells a story of a relationship that goes nowhere. It isn’t hate-filled, or passionate. It is just vague friendship.
It’s a shame that the musicians mistook stealing the one-finger organ part from Like A Rolling Stone for creativity, because she can sing, and her phrasing has an awkward idiosyncrasy. There is an optimism about the whole thing that is far from unpleasant. Perhaps she could team up with The Skuzzies, who would give her music some bite, get Collins to write the lyrics and Hercules to remix it.
By Gareth Vile
Click here to read more Hercules and Love Affair related news, reviews & interviews!
Buy Hercules and Love Affair CDs & Vinyl
Buy Hercules and Love Affair MP3s
Buy Hercules and Love Affair Tickets
Buy Hercules and Love Affair Merch
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