“By contrast, Jenny Again is a simple stripped down acoustic number with nary a hint of anything else, except a mention of Little Chef.”
“By contrast, Jenny Again is a simple stripped down acoustic number with nary a hint of anything else, except a mention of Little Chef.”
Tunng – Comments of the Inner Chorus (http://www.fulltimehobby.co.uk/ / Konkurrent)
Great, silly noises 2 seconds in, that’s how I like it. Hanged is a curious amalgam of sounds, weirdly enough conjouring up a Javanese feel (as if we are at a gamelan concert). All too quickly it’s over and into Woodcat, a beautiful acoustic web with soft vocals very far up in the mix. It’s an incredibly personal song about transformation and love which somehow manages to avoid sounding too self absorbed. Maybe it’s the self depreciating, very Northern line “and we all had a lovely time” (I think this lot are Lancastrians…) Soon a female vocal joins in, inviting a mini choir in turn, which repeats the “lovely time” lyric. Understated, though powerful stuff. The Wind Up Bird is a sultry track, replete with Eno-esque synth noises, violin and banjo. The feeling of being recorded in a shed in Cumbria persists throughout. Red and Green continues the vibe with the eclectic sounds and quiet vocals, building up a very sexy track indeed. Things become even more bonkers with Stories, a great mix of samples and interwoven acoustic threads, at times sounding very much like something off AmonDuul2’s Yeti.
By contrast, Jenny Again is a simple stripped down acoustic number with nary a hint of anything else, except a mention of Little Chef. Now and again there are moments of mild, pastoral psychedelia which lend a sticky, summery feel. Following on, Man in the Box can’t help but feel maudlin. A woozy sea shanty of sorts and choc-full of backwards noises thumps and creaking, the song lazily drifts around for a good 5 minutes before the samples flood the boat.
Things get very hazy over the next few tracks; listening is akin to fleeting moments lying in a field in summer. By the agency of gossamer thin guitar and sampled voices, Jay Down becomes a very beguiling and rather confusing spell. A soft chorus begins It’s Because We’ve Got Hair, an acid-campfire strum along of sorts which is over before it’s begun (or so it seems).
Sweet William by contrast has a much darker feel to the previous song’s complacent overtones. I presume this is about King Billy, though I could be wrong. It is an incredibly spooky number that ends up leading into Engine Room, another haunting number that seemingly ends life as a demented (well slightly demented) rave. Rockin’, our kid. Except that it doesn’t, as we have a return, (in part), to the style of Hanged; with a very Auntie voice asking us, “how do birds find their way?” Dunno, guv.
A fabulous LP, and one which deserves to be in everyone’s collection. Seek it out, ye sound troubadours!
Words: Richard Foster.