Don’t you wish you could, as fit justice, as a kind of human agent of a Supreme and Divine and Terrible Higher Being, indulge in ecstasies of tortuous punishments upon these four, for having the temerity to play such pretentious things and then proudly list them?
Lucky Dragons – Dream Island Laughing Language
http://www.konkurrent.nl/ http://www.upsettherhythm.co.uk/ www.myspace.com/luckydragons
Now this is interesting, even if the CD’s cover gives me third degree eye-ache. Four people get together and play (and I quote from the sleeve) hands, rocks, mini bongos, necklaces, cassettes, tambourine, rubber bands, flutes, mbira… I could go on. There’s also a book adorned with annoying, smug, childlike drawings.
Don’t you wish you could, as fit justice, as a kind of human agent of a Supreme and Divine and Terrible Higher Being, indulge in ecstasies of tortuous punishments upon these four, for having the temerity to play such pretentious things and then proudly list them?
Well I’m sorry; you will have to forego that pleasure. What they have created is nothing short of magnificent. It’s out there. It’s serious in intent whilst never ever becoming twee or self-important. The musical template (whistles, percussions, noises etc) obviously brings Moondog to mind, but has none of that gentleman’s obsessive or solitary nature; no, this record has an all-embracing bouncy, hippy happiness about it. It sounds fun and it’s sharp and (moreover) accessible. And at one point (on the tracks Givers, My Are Singing and I Keep Waiting for Earthquakes) it turns into a sort of vegan TomTom Club.
Quite simply it’s a fabulous record and apparently they’ve made 18 LPs. Fucking hell!
Words: Richard Foster