Rewind #9: Andy Votel – Badly Drawn Boy boss’ disc

Andy Votel
‘All Ten Fingers’
(XL Recordings)

After spending over ten years as a mainstay in Manchester’s music scene, juggling jobs as a label boss (Twisted Nerve), producer and remixer (Lamb, Death In Vegas, Badly Drawn Boy, Ian Brown, Elbow, Texas, Kings of Convenience...), a graphic designer and a DJ (everywhere), Andy Votel has finally found the time to create a truly wide-ranging set of songs, which embodies all of his favoured things in life.

‘All Ten Fingers’ reveals exactly what happens when Votel disassembles all his LPs, videos and musical instruments, and then re-assembles them. Dissecting a mature wealth of widespread influences – Krautrock, Italian soundtracks, Czech cinema, French pop, Hungarian prog, West Coast psychee, East- Euro Graphics and of course, old-skool Hip-Hop – ‘All Ten Fingers’ is a diverse and colourful collage of what whets Andy Votel’s taste buds.

This is highly atmospheric affair, it contains a lot of very elegant moments, a classy stuff: there is a song ‘Hazelwood’ (an ode to the famed crooner) that is waif-like vocalised by Tracy Elizabeth, Elbow guest on ‘The VIY’ for a very dark and disturbing moment… But, there is ‘Salted Tangerines’ featuring the return of Votel’s favourite vocalist Malcolm Mooney, the original singer with Can, the magnificent Krautrock legends. The song’s lyrics are based on poetry written shortly after Malcolm left Germany in the early ‘70s under strange and curio ‘breakdown’ circumstances. (He’s currently working with a band Tenth Planet.

Of course Damon Cough makes appearance but this is thoroughly Votel’s album, one of the greatest surprises of the year.

8.5/10
*

Frou Frou
‘Details’
(Island)

For the difference from Votel’s ‘All Ten Fingers’, Frou Frou’s ‘Details’ is one of the year’s greatest letdowns. The duo is fronted by a goddess-like looking-n-voice’d Imogen Heap who had one album released a few years back, ‘I Megaphone’. (Her second disc was produced by the ex-Eurythmic Dave Stewart but never released.) Heap’s return to the arena, with producer Guy Sigsworth as partner, was hinted at as being The Corrs-meets-zeitgeist that turns out to be more like a polite version of Dido. And, as we all are aware, Dido wasn’t a wild-one to begin with…

Frou Frou maiden single’s title, ‘Must Be Dreaming’, is almost correct in its prophecy. Back to bed and try again! Sorry, studio: body á la Elle and voice like a sex-siren just ain’t enough, babe!

6/10