Album of the Month: FIVE WAYS TO SAY GOODBYE by Mick Harvey

Mick Harvey is one of the unsung rock heroes of our time. Not just for the work he did with Nick Cave (I still shudder at saying this in the past tense) - but for the excellent production and instrumental work he has provided for other artists, from PJ Harvey to Robert Forster. For his solo career, too. For the masterful interpretation of Serge Gainsbourg's music. For the rare but precious moments of singer-songwriter brilliance that have led to underrated albums like Two of Diamonds and Sketches from the Book of the Dead. 

That said, I could probably make a good point that Beth Gibbons's Lives Outgrown is, inevitably, the best album of the month. Or could I?..

Five Ways To Say Goodbye was such a low-key release that I almost missed it (as I have done multiple times with some of his earlier work). So much so that its appearance on Spotify was a bit of an afterthought, and I first heard it in the impenetrable jungle that is Bandcamp. 

While the album consists of just four original compositions, they merge so seamlessly with his interpretations of other people's work that you start to understand why Harvey has never trusted the word 'cover'. Truly, guessing which songs on Five Ways To Say Goodbye were self-penned and which were written by other artists would not be easy. A certain sombre, pensive atmosphere permeates the album and makes everything his own. 

The string arrangements are beautiful (soaring in "Alone With The Stars", chilling in "A Suitcase in Berlin" - an ode to Berlin first recorded by Marlene Dietrich in the 1950s) and the melodies are sung in that delicate voice that makes the material extra subtle and majestic. The one time when he rocks out is when he does Dave McComb's "Setting You Free" (this would be a good place to recommend McComb's passionate, masterful Love Of Will album) - he does it with conviction and a certain roughness that the song requires. Still, my favourite piece on this extremely even LP would have to be Harvey's take on Ed Kuepper's "Demolition". It is gorgeous beyond all reason (it makes me think of The Paradise Motel's version of "Drive"), and the way he roughs up the ending while retaining the aural bliss of that chorus is a truly special moment. 

A great, great album that deserves to be cherished - or at the very least heard by more people. And to go full circle with this review... I remember how I first found out that Mick Harvey had a solo career. It was while reading a British music magazine that features a brief review of his Australian Rules soundtrack. It was a glowing four-star piece that concluded with something like "the sooner he leaves that one-trick charlatan Cave, the better". That is taking things way too far, obviously, but Mick Harvey solo work deserves a lot more recognition than it has received over the years.  

May Round-Up

Paul Weller has written some of my favourite songs of all time ("Going Underground", "The Bitterest Pill"). Sadly, none of his solo albums have even come close. They have all been... fine, I guess, but there is an uncomfortable sense that each time he succeeds, he just sounds like someone else. That said, 66 is one of his stronger albums - with the soulful, elegant waltz of "My Best Friend's Coat" and the timeless melody of the opening "Ship Of Fools" being especially noteworthy. A subdued, introspective affair with one point of interest: the verses of "Flying Fish" sound like "The Winner Takes It All" by ABBA. 

Times being what they are, Camera Obscura should be huge. With their lightweight, twee-tinged pop, they provide the perfect escape from the current state of things. Just consider that album cover for a second. Look To The East, Look To The West is all lovely and cute, but very little sticks beyond the breezy chorus of "We're Going To Make It In A Man's World". Melodies should have a little more meat to them. Unassuming and inoffensive. Six out of ten (on a good day).

I have similar feelings towards Jessica Pratt's new album, but there is a certain mystery to her, something pleasant yet elusive. Here In The Pitch is a decidedly retro affair. Think of the early 60s, of folk pop so subtle it almost slips through your fingers. Good stuff but I'm afraid I need a little more edge in this kind of music. 

Lives Outgrown is Beth Gibbons's first album in a million years (22, to be exact - her last LP was 2002's Out Of Season with Rustin Man), and it is just as good as you hoped it would be. Subtle and undeniably powerful. These shapeless folk songs are not particularly immediate but further listens are rewarding. The tunes may not reach the autumnal heights of Out Of Season, but you can't deny the voice and a certain profound tension which cuts through the album. 

Arab Strap are reliably brilliant. This new album I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore 👍 is seedy, dark, strangely hypnotic. Sometimes uncomfortable but then they bang you on the head with a huge chorus. Sometimes too disco-ish and straightforward but then they knock you down, beautifully, with that unsettling Scottish whisper. Great stuff. 

Did I really love Lousy With Sylvianbriar and give it a 10 out of 10 back in 2013 or something? Because I have no idea what Kevin Barnes is doing these days. This latest of Montreal album, Lady On The Cusp, is a fluffy slab of nothing. The man has lost it to the extent where you would be excused to think that he never really had it in the first place. Whimsical, psychedelic? Maybe. Mostly, though, just bloodless and dull.  

Finally, Steve Albini went out with a bang. Shellac's last LP, To All Trains, is a rough post-punk explosion of noise and energy. It is not pretty but it never tries to be. And, at 28 minutes, it is criminal to avoid this premature goodbye.

Songs of the month:

"Dreg Queen" - Arab Strap

"Demolition" - Mick Harvey 

"Frogs" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

"Beyond The Sun" - Beth Gibbons

"Ship Of Fools" - Paul Weller

"Claw Machine" - Sloppy Jane

Best Synthpop Songs of the 80s

Whenever someone brings up the 1980s, there is always talk of 'the worst decade ever'. I could never get it. Kate Bush? The Triffids? The Go-Betweens? The Fall? What are you talking about? If you don't measure music by whatever Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton were doing in mid-80s, you are fine. 

The Rolling Stones did not suck in the 1980s, and synths and drum machines did not ruin music. With that in mind, here is a list of ten best synthpop songs of that much maligned decade. Obviously many classics had to be discarded (for the record, both "Don't You Want Me" and "Take On Me" failed at the final hurdle). 

10. "The Look of Love, Pt.1" by ABC (1982)

From the great debut The Lexicon of Love. I could of course choose "Poison Arrow" but it is this song that has always wowed me with its slick production and immaculate backing vocals. With not a second wasted, this is an absolute classic.

9. "Girls On Film" by Duran Duran (1981)

I have expressed my love for the MTV live performance of this song far too many times now. The song appeared on the band's honestly-quite-good self-titled debut LP. "Girls On Film" is the sort of 80s dance pop you would not be ashamed to dance to. 

8. "Like A Prayer" by Madonna (1989)

Well, I'm not so stupid as to deny the total genius of this song. Madonna had enough great singles in the 80s, but this was it. This was the one. 

7. "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money") by Pet Shop Boys (1986)

I wish I could like Pet Shop Boys more than I do - sadly, each time I try to get into them, I end up liking the odd song rather than a whole album. "Opportunities" was, of course, synthpop par excellence. Choruses did not get much better than this in the 80s. Or ever.

6. "All You Ever Think About Is Sex" by Sparks (1983)

In Outer Space is one of Sparks' most underrated albums. "Please, Baby, Please", "Rockin' Girls" and "Dance Godammit" are all incredible, but it is the dumb-yet-oh-so-smart "All You Ever Think About Is Sex" that I have always loved the best. The lyrics from the opening verse are absolute Mael perfection. Sparks would get quite bad in the 80s but the fall did not happen here.

5. "Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order (1986)

 

Can you think of a more perfect synthpop song?.. New Order had to be on this list, and while you may love your "Blue Monday" or "The Perfect Kiss", it is "Bizarre Love Triangle" that I consider their peak. The song is subtle and exhilarating at the same time. 

4. "Party Fears Two" by The Associates (1982) 

 

While the bizarre, wonderful "Tell Me Easter's On Friday" may be my favourite song by The Associates (and one of my favourite songs ever), "Party Fears Two" was their classic synthpop single. It was grandiose and epic and the detached vocals of Billy MacKenzie made it a typically otherworldly experience.  

3. "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" by Soft Cell (1981)

I'd put the whole Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret album here if I could (surely the best pure synthpop album of all time), but if I had to choose one song I would probably go for this closing ballad which has a spellbinding melody and one of Marc Almond's most powerful vocal performances ever. 

2. "Living In Another World" by Talk Talk (1986)

So much for 1985 and 1986 being the worst years in music history. The Colour Of Spring was the album where Talk Talk began their transformation from just a synthpop band into post rock geniuses. "Living In Another World" goes on for seven minutes and remains completely captivating all the way through. And the details? The details are exquisite. That infectious harmonica break? Those subdued guitar bursts? Mark Hollis's subtle vocal intonations? Utter brilliance.

1. "Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)" by Simple Minds (1982)

I will be honest here: it is impossible for me to hear those 25 seconds at the start and not conclude that there is simply no competition here. This is the best song from the 80s. That synth line just kills me. And it certainly helps that the rest of the song is just as perfect. "Someone Somewhere" is a song that manages to be both ecstatic and impossibly sad at the same time.