Vonlolly Ringing a Bell!
Ding! ding! ding!
Sometimes, along comes an album that you just have to ring the bells about.
Happy Soup?
Let's not beat about the bush, this is tasty!
An example of where genuinely original talent is found: positioned out on a planet of their own.
In Baxter's case you'll have to listen to his music to get a clue as to the creative space he has
effortlessly found in the crowded world of contemporary music.
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'Leak at the Disco'
"Leak at the Disco", from Happy Soup, mixes his laconic monologue, a dreamy girl chorus, cool guitar,
insect noises, dubb and helicopters with a simple keyboard tune. A touching, surreal achievement.
Also check out the following:
Download or preferably, if you like the comforting feel of a cardboard sleeve and
something shiny in your hand, buy his CD.
Sometimes, one can't quite get a useful perspective on things. Like, given the
simplicity of the ingredients, how on earth he makes such original, bitter sweet, music.
His collaborators, Madelaine Hart, Mike Moore and mixer Craig Silvey, all contribute
their own unique sensibilities, but it's held together by a geezer who's a bit like a soup
himself: a hint of dapper, a shuffle of his dad, shaken not stirred and... nah!
One of a kind.
Some things can never be undone.
"The thrust had carried with it the whole weight of my crazed being, every bit of strength
my soul could muster. As the blade careened in, it was deflected by internal bone and gristle and jarred from
my grasp. I opened my eyes to see that it was home, buried to the hilt. Any remaining blows towards me now faltered dysfunctionally. Reassured, I almost enjoyed the twitchings and paroxisms of death that ensued.
For the first time I was aware of the mess... the warm, greasy blood, spreading. In the quietness, I shuddered
with a sudden cold sweat that now engulfed me. After some moments I grasped the hilt and pulled. It seemed like more effort than I imagined would be required, dispelling all thoughts that any of this could ever be reversed or undone.
I cleaned up as best I could, then set about properly plucking and gutting the pigeon."
Despite looking like a dog's dinner, images like this of
the Fall's Mark E Smith really only enhance his legendary status.
Fall gigs can be a bit dodgy, but the high level of the band's musical creativity has
prevailed since he was a winsome young man some 30 plus years ago.
Click on arrow to play Touch Sensitive
"Hey hey hey hey
I know I know I know I know
In the cars or on the street
If you smile you are a creep
If you don't say it's very cold
You are drunk or too old
They say what about the meek
I say they got a bloody cheek
vanity and presumption, deposed
Living in the hard porn shop lately
I say hey hey hey hey
Touch sensitive
I know I know I know I know
And you're dyin' for a pee
So you go behind a tree
And a Star Wars police vehicle pulls up
I say gimme a taxi
Touch sensitive
Touch sensitive."
They've always been good for a rousing anthem, 'Hit the North',
(Drive fast up the M1, playing loud.)
a disarmingly heartfelt emotional statement, 'Bill is Dead', or a
good old rant like this one, 'Touch Sensitive'.
From 1999s The Marshall Suite, it's a
fine example of Mark's cruel/surreal/un-nerving
take on the world.
All within a rousing musical framework:
drums, guitars, strings and
a fine rooftop performance video.
As is this more recent outing, "Reformation". Have a look:
Watch cool dance moves and salvation at the Fall Motel.
So, where do we go now?
Perhaps we'll just stay with the Fall... From the 1992 album, Code:Selfish,
"Just Waiting" was inspired by Dr Seuss's "The Waiting Place".
"Pensioner's waiting for leap year to come
And the young singer's waiting to sing
And there's a gardener outside a big estate
Waiting for the grass to turn green
The drunk is waiting for an easy mark
The hitchhiker is waiting for a ride
And the prisoner is waiting for a prison break
And the surfer is waiting for the tide
Ah just waiting
You know everything comes to a standstill
Nothing seems to make a turn
Cause the worm's still waitin' for the early bird
And the early bird's waiting for the worm".
"And nobody wants to do nothing
Just waiting for a finger in the pie
And waiting for a call from a TV show
Or waiting for some rich uncle to die 1-2-3.'
Everybody's waiting for something
And nothing ever turns out right
Because the night shift is waiting for the morning
And the burglar is waiting for the night.
Congregation is waiting for the vicar
And the vicar is waiting for the groom
The groom is waiting for his new bride to come
But the bride is waiting for june".
Listen to the song. Watch the video.
It continues, compiling more observations until finally Mark is left waiting for his 'honey' to come.
My own favourite lines being:
"Nobody wants to do nothing. Just waiting
for their chips and their pie"
To see more of Vonlolly's music-related meanderings, click on the links below.
