This is certainly a departure for Tim Burgess with the lyrics written by Kurt Wagner of Lambchop fame and by the sounds of it, a big hand in the music too with a lot of the production being done in Wagner's hometown of Nashville. It has all the hallmarks of a Wagner album but as Burgess has said with the North-West England accent provided with the vocals. Apparently, the deal was struck to work on a collaboration over ten years ago and it's taken this long for both parties to finalise it all.
I've read a fair few reviews and they've swung from outright contempt and plenty of sideswipes at his barnet (n.b. English slang for haircut) to adulation. I think I'm firmly in the 'love it' camp. It's quite dark in places with almost a Cohen-esque path together with female singers and at other times it's firmly on the road to Americana. Wagner's lyrics are always uplifting even when the music isn't and Burgess's slightly thin voice does work well but I think it's probably a happy coincidence as he does struggle with the higher notes. The highlight for me is the very melancholy 'Tobacco Fields' and the juxtaposition of a Greater Manchester accent and the Deep South references give rise to a thing of beauty.
I've dug out a couple of interesting snippets for you. The first is the official video to 'White' and the second, a remix of the previously mentioned 'Tobacco Fields'.
No comments:
Post a Comment