Misty’s Big Adventure - loads going on here!

United Kingdom was an individual, unique and eccentric country as far as the continental Europe [and an alien entity for the rest of the world!] - was concerned; during the 1960s and early 1970s, the UK was characterised by the monochrome - unbelievable greyness, the black’n’white - hue of living. It only started to get technicolour in the 1970s, socially speaking, although individuals had woken up their rainbow souls in the second half of the ’60s.

No we are not nostalgiacs and only wish to make a point how corporate the whole country has become. Back in the day it still was a haven for illusion-seekers, music lovers, individualism and eccentrics and not the standardized, homogenous and corporate melodrama served as the contemporary life.

Look at any High Street - the same chain-stores everywhere, the identical shopping malls, the matching restaurants, the identikit cafes; we don’t want UNIFORMS, we don’t want the American vision and version - we want variety. Not clichés, not knock-offs, not regurgitating the old and flogging nostalgia in every conceivable way… Utilitarian economy has had an adverse effect on all aspects of living and definitely on culture.

Over the ever-expending media that limit’s the choice to - nought. ‘Seinfeld’ is still so avant-comedy years after going off air. Movies? What happened to those that haven’t got a number behind a title, or don’t contain re-some in its description, or are not re-imaging of a crappy old TV show or, God help us, are visualisation of a ’graphic novel’? It may look like there is more choice now - but don’t be fooled. There ONLY is more ways to dump dung onto our attention.

That’s why someone like Misty’s Big Adventure should be hailed as a saviour of imagination, eccentricity and the defiant British spirit. They/it/he don’t bow to anything but own agenda and imagery. From the opening, the titular, track it is a ride that screams - something’s afoot, my dear Watson!

‘Never Stops Never Rests Never Sleeps’ gets all upbeat with such oomph like the singer is the son of Viv Stanshall, the late Bonzo Doo Dah Dog Band; it is outright wacky, it is nuts, brave and so-proudly-Brit by embracing vaudeville and music hall tradition! ‘The Story Of Love’ is so out-there, you’d have to be operated of humour not to dig it. Yeah, there are no borders to this imagination.

In a search for a perfect off-beat take, the singer alternatively recalls some of the great frontmen, such as Ian Dury, Sir Noel Coward, Billy Mackenzie, Benny Hill; the music owes a bit to The Clash and straighter punkers, a smidgen to Billy Bragg [sans politics] with a touch of prog and a pinch of psychedelia, country, folk, soul… A whole lotta of barrel of sounds with its subtly comedic element that may appear slightly alien to the pop-consumers coached on the obvious/instantaneous/bland/gormless non-entities that crowd the charts… ‘ToTP’ is losing viewers? Great surprise, dear Aunty!?

MBA don’t trade in patented sounds and are the scrawny group/man of cool… Some mystery surrounds the founder, Grandmaster Gareth, but this chess master’s personality is not an issue here. What it actually is - alike on ‘Dark Matter No.2 - it is fully visionary loaded! Mad choice and great enjoyment.

‘The Wising Up Song’ brings the curtain down on the CD that provides a pleasure of a Marathon run… if that indeed is a pleasure!?

‘The Black Hole’ is music with a perma-smirk on its gob and positively the album for the time when certain religion condemns dope but condones blowing human beings. Morality’s black hole. [03 August 2005]

8/10