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Album Review
by SashaS
2-11-2004
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| Gravenhurst run a lyrical mile |
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Gravenhurst: 'Black Holes In The Sand'
(Warp)
Gravenhurst run a lyrical mile
In the delicatessen of modern celebrities, the shelves are pretty busy but they are also pretty vacant. We find difficult to respect, nay - understand, a chanteuse requiring five hours to get ready for a photo-shoot… No doubt the finger points to Gwen Stefani. And J-Lo, and Destiny’s Child, and Marilyn Manson! There are too many performers, entertainers, vocalists - but writing-on-empty as far as artists go!
How low can you sink? Years ago we asked a Spice Girl what was her favourite book and she confessed never to have read one!? Have you got round to it yet, C-luv? Even a ‘Bridget Jones’ tome, you could have learnt something there? In a recent conversation with a member of getting-there band, The Music, singer Rob Harvey was explaining how he wrote lyrics on the spot, claiming the process to be a “stream of consciousness”. Deeper probing into the subject divulged that he had never heard of - James Joyce!
The bottom line is that there is no salvation and fans will bypass critical opinions because they believe to know what they like and trusting own taste is where it is at. Alas, it is not, it is pre-hyped one, an automation, on auto-pilot, it has become a humanity’s impediment. Sans diss there is no miss. Who do you get mad at/argue mentally with unless a critic’s notice with a vengeance?
And, how would you discover people such as Tim Bowness? Or, that Leonard Cohen has a new album out, or Gravenhurst a new EP? Bristolian Nick Talbot, aka Gravenhurst, has a 6-tracker ‘Black Holes in the Sand’ that, at 31:38 minutes, is just a wee shorter than the new Kings of Leon’s 35:11 minutes album ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’!? [Reviewed tomorrow chez nous, by the way] The simple reason is that Mr Talbot’s currency of expression is not your everyday garden variety composing because he doesn‘t write short… well, most of today’s ‘songs’ are sketches of stories, whilst the deal here is - novels.
The title cut takes 7 minutes and 24 seconds to travel to a [promised sonic?] land via the folksy-blues that takes in psychedelia, funky-spaceness, experimentalism, in an extremely captivating manner. He gets more romantic on ‘Flowers in her Hair’ and keeps the pastorally-rocking mood on ‘Still Water’ as well.
‘Diane’ is a cover of the proto-punkers Husker Du’s ditty Gravenhurst have reworked as a murder ballad. Rather delicious at that. It feels like words can kill, again. Talbot may, unfortunately, never be a big seller but he certainly makes big’un music!
How to survive a time flavoured with directionless? Listen to the voice of taste…
9/10
SashaS
2-11-2004
Gravenhurst's EP 'Black Holes In The Sand' is released 01 November 2004 by Warp
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