Marvellous, ridiculously laid back and far too much fun for one sitting, surely?
Marvellous, ridiculously laid back and far too much fun for one sitting, surely?
(Song, by Toad)
Let’s get the fact we love Endless Knocking over with now. We can’t recommend it highly enough. An uncomplicated listen – despite the many chops and changes of pace and style – it’s one of those records that manages to hit just the right note for the occasion, and encourages the listener to rejoice in that fact.
The music is buoyed throughout by some fabulous arrangements, some siren-like choruses and some downright daft changes of key or tempo; it’s not really trying to out-Beefheart Beefheart, but is more akin to a scruffy take on the Soft Boys’ Can of Bees: all the while infused with this easy going, slightly frayed charm. No one should be looking to take offense. Even when matters get reflective and a little more serious – such as with J&J and Paris, languid discourses on some old pals it seems – the music is content to ease up and drift on, there’s no real worry over dictating pace and direction.
There are some cheeky nods in amongst all the musical collage work, witness the bone thrown to Altered Images in Twins: or the marvellous, shimmering wave of brass in Elegy for the Good that somehow manages to mutate (or stumble) into some kind of jam that sounds like a very pissed up Henry Cow. I’m Half The Man You Were veers between some sort of underpowered, fiddle-driven math rock and that “White Boy Soul” sound Orange Juice had, and the gentle grumble known as Permanent Defeat sounds like James Kirk mumbling his way through a school speech or something. It’s all a laugh. And every now and again we get focused songs that knock you off your feet such is their charm and power: So Much Water is one, a killer pop song, blessed with a lovely change of gear; possibly the most crystalline moment on the LP.
Marvellous, ridiculously laid back and far too much fun for one sitting, surely?