#313/1993 LISTENING POST DISCOVERY
1986 Housekeeping
The Cleaners From Venus
Living with Victoria Grey
Genre: Charmingly Weird Curio
4.5 out of 5
Highlights:
Victoria Grey
Stay On
The Mercury Girl
Requisite 80s Cover:
Andy Partridge’s “Pearl”. I don’t know if the original was ever fully formed but, in Martin Newall’s hands, it’s along lost Beach Boys classic.
Everything about this shouts “vanity project”. I mean, it’s really just one guy, right?
Thing is, he’s got his own voice and he writes interesting, if not sometimes compelling and hilarious tunes. “Ilya Kurakin Looked at Me”???? I’ve never heard another song with a Man from U.N.C.L.E. reference. I even don’t mind the programmed drums, they actually make the whole thing charming, in a The Cars sort of way (“The Mercury Girl”).
I’m really glad that, through this project, I’ve had the chance to hears something like this, an album by a guy who can write good songs, play in a variety of styles, never once crack into the pop culture consciousness and yet, lives on in the streaming world.
This isn’t going to change your life and you will find yourself reaching for other, better practitioners, like Elvis Costello or, even, The Cure, or the Beach Boys, but you could do worse than giving this a shot.
No comments:
Post a Comment