Log #65 - Richard Hawley's Dark and Brooding Masterpiece

One of the joys of writing this blog are the unexpected rediscoveries of artists in my collection. Playing his classic Coles Corner album a month ago led me to expand my Richard Hawley catalogue with two more purchases both featured at the top of my 6 cd changer this week. 

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1. Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge

2. Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter

3. Tim Buckley - Happy Sad

4. The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers

5. Nick Cave - The Lyre of Orpheus

6. Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues

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After being nominated for the Mercury Prize for Coles Corner in 2006 Hawley was nominated again in 2012 for a very different album - Standing at the Sky's Edge is a powerful rock album with mixed down vocals, heavy bass, thumping drums, and distorted guitars. Sounding more like The Stone Roses or Jimi Hendrix, releasing this was a brave move being such a departure from his regular sound.

Hawley's 2009 LP, Truelove's Gutter, is more in the vein of Coles Corner but I'd say even more lush and also darker with some very long slow tracks and sad lyrics highlighted by sparse string arrangements (look at that dark cover too). The writing is stripped back both lyrically and musically - with the emphasis on space and atmosphere - with a voice like his you don't have to try to too hard -  less is more. The eight (only, yay!) songs work perfectly with Hawley's baritone and retro guitar and this album is truly addictive - the one I've had on pretty constant repeat this week. Actually more worthy of the Mercury nomination than the other two I'd say.

As the Dawn Breaks begins with atmospheric bird song. Open Up Your Door and Ashes on the Fire are beautiful waltz-like ballads with brushed drum strokes and echoey 50s style Gretsch guitar. The former has the distinction of being used in adverts for both Haagen Dazs and Renault.

It was the one time I was persuaded to do an advert and the kids went: 'Dad, do we get any free Häagen-Dazs?' So I rang up and asked. Then this massive articulated lorry turned up...this big, tattooed bloke pulled out this freezer thing. When he opened it up there were these four tiny tubs.

The lengthy Remorse Code is hypnotic with it's acoustic guitar arpeggios. The soothing Don't Get Hung Up in Your Soul features haunting saw. Soldier On is a masterpiece of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb like proportions which builds from tabla backed sustained guitar notes to a crashing crescendo - the only loud section in the album and possibly anticipating the Standing at the Sky's Edge sound.

We then return to another mournful love song where Hawley implores: For Your Lover Give Some Time backed by plucked Spanish guitar and strings:

I will give up these cigarettes
Stay at home and watch you mend the tears in your dress
Have your name in a rose tattooed across my chest
And be your lover for all time
Maybe I will drink a little less
Come home early and not complain about the day
And give you flowers from the graveyard now and then
And for my lover give some time

Heartbreaking.

The last track is the 10 minute Don't You Cry which is more fleshed out than most of the other arrangements. Underpinned by another repeating acoustic guitar arpeggio the track features a symphony of interesting sounds played on lyre, glockenspiel, harpsichord, cristal baschet, celeste, tibetan singing bowls, waterphone, and saw again.

What on Earth is a waterphone? I've never seen or heard one before but this sounds amazing (and a little eerie).

What on Earth is a cristal baschet? I've never seen or heard one before but this sounds amazing (and a little eerie).

These sound clips give an indication of the atmosphere of this amazing album. I thought Coles Corner gave me all I needed from Richard Hawley but I'm so pleased I ventured deeper and discovered this one. For beginners I'd still recommend the lighter Coles Corner but if you like that also take a walk on the dark side with Truelove's Gutter.

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Log #64 - A Brave and Exciting Departure

Regular fans of Richard Hawley, the easy listening crooner, should be wary of his Standing at the Sky's Edge album. However I expect this album of heavy psychedelic trippy rock (don't you just love that cover?) will have won Hawley many new fans and the less sensitive of his existing fans would have nevertheless grown appreciative of this temporary transformation, it being underpinned fundamentally by typically excellent songs albeit in an unfamiliar setting.

Guitar is my first love... I'd done the orchestral thing pretty much... enough to warrant a big change for me.

For this outing, his seventh, the guitars are turned up to 11 and the drums and bass pound away providing a tremendous wall of sound, and the celebrated Hawley voice is distorted and mixed down low sounding like Jim Morrison particularly on the slow paced title track. Aside from the Doors, think Hawkwind, Neil Young (with Crazy Horse of course), Jimi Hendrix, Stone Roses, Ride, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, or any other number of shoe-gazing guitar bands of the 90s.

Songs like the 7 minute opener She Brings the Sunlight with it's sustained power chords and distorted electric guitar solos are indicative of this new towering sound.

Obvious single Leave Your Body Behind You with it's descending bass line would make a great Bond theme:

Child of Eden your time is short
You can't leave with more than you've brought
Love given lightly can never be owned
A thing we feel but can never hold

You leave your body behind you
When you leave this place
You leave your body behind you
And you make a space

However it's not all monumental rock and there are a couple of more typical gentle ballads mid album in Seek It and Don't Stare at the Sun although the latter also ends with a searing guitar solo.

A departure then for Hawley, but a very successful one leading to a hugely powerful album that I think will stand the test of time. Take it in the car on a long drive and play it loud!

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1. Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge

2. The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers

3. Tim Buckley - Happy Sad

4. Gong - The Best Of

5. Nick Cave - The Lyre of Orpheus

6. Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues

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Log #63 - Happy, Sad, Silly

Two brand new 6cd blog virgins this week with new entries from Gong and Tim Buckley. We've doubled down on Nick Cave, Beck's consistent showing continues, and there's a welcome return for probably the greatest live band on Earth!

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1. Beck - Guero

2. The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers

3. Tim Buckley - Happy Sad

4. Gong - The Best Of

5. Nick Cave - The Lyre of Orpheus

6. Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues

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Beck goes more pop and rap with his much loved Guero LP - probably his most similar outing to the popular jumping shaggy doggy covered Odelay.

Nick Cave's Abattoir Blues is the heavier twin to The Lyre of Orpheus. Kicking off with the almost heavy metal Get Ready for Love the album peaks with two of Cave's greatest pop songs: There She Goes My Beautiful World and Nature Boy. Taking the double album together the consistent quality of the songs across these 17 tracks represents a high point in Cave's illustrious career.

Hey, the Nature Boy track is so good, it's time to start embedding these videos to enhance playability (doesn't Cave always wear a suit well?):

Tim Buckley used to be famous but is now probably more famous for being the father of Jeff Buckley whose only proper album Grace became a modern classic. Both had angelic voices and died young - Tim aged 28 from a drug overdose, Jeff aged 30 from drowning (both narrowly avoiding the infamous 27 club). Tim Buckley started out as a singer songwriter but progressed from folk based guitar songs into more experimental jazz and rock fusion becoming influential to artists like John Martyn. This is evident on this record with the 12 minute improvisational Gypsy Woman where Buckley demonstrates his vocal range.

Tim and Jeff Buckley

Gong are an interesting band also straddling multiple genres of music including rock, prog, jazz, even punk and er um "space rock" a la Hawkwind. For a band adept at such a range of styles a Best Of compilation will never fully satisfy on account of sudden shifts in atmosphere. On grounds of continuity and context Best Ofs are best avoided except as gateways into the real albums. This compilation has a fair smattering of tracks from Gong's classic period known as the Teapot Trilogy - real albums Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg and You. Of these three my favourite (Steve Hillage inspired) album is You. Outside of this lot the more rock based and earlier Camembert Electrique is pretty good too and is represented on this compilation by a 13 second track entitled Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen's Heads! Like Frank Zappa and the Bonzo Dog Band, Gong's inherent musicianship is not taken too seriously and they will sometimes tip their hats to outright silliness.

Go directly to You, Do not pass Go, Do not collect any Best Ofs

Gong's You cover, and my own picture of Chichen Itza Temple in Mexico

Last up, but by all means not least, is many people's favourite live band, The Felice Brothers and their eponymous album (actually officially their fifth although some appear to be unavailable now so this seems to be generally accepted as their second proper album after Tonight at the Arizona). One of their go to tracks is Frankie's Gun but honestly this is just one of numerous foot stomping singalong Americana anthems you could choose to highlight their style. 

I don't know if this accompanying film of a boys' motorcycle trip has any relevance to the song or the lyrics, and it doesn't feature the band members, but it has a lovely nostalgic good time feel. Frankie's Gun was also bizarrely featured in the closing credits to an episode of the BBC comedy series Outnumbered encouraging many fans of that show to investigate this unknown band further.

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