Beth Gibbons &
Rustin Man – OUT OF SEASON
Funny I should write
this on the first day of winter. Funny – because Out Of Season could be the ultimate autumn album. Everything about
it, from Beth Gibbons’ morbidly soulful vocals to the cold, slightly surreal
vibe, everything screams wet shoes
and windy streets.
It’s that same Beth
Gibbons of Portishead – but this is bleak jazz rather than chilling trip-hop. A
sense of abandoned hope runs through “Mysteries” and “Show” and the incredible “Tom The Model” like cold, cold blood – but, crucially, the effect is beautiful
rather than oppressive.
The centrepiece is “Funny
Time Of Year” which shares the atmosphere with Nico’s version of “My Funny
Valentine”. Desolation mixed with sadness, and the feeling that 30 years from
now you will cry listening to these songs. Odd how both have ‘funny’ in their title.
A less appropriate word would be hard to find.
