All The Kids Are Cool
I was sent a CD last week that really grabbed my attention due to some truly exquisite packaging. As well as a beautifully embossed sleeve, the plush silver envelope contained a beautiful hand stamped print and a touching little note.
Well I had to slip this lovely thing in the CD player... only to find ***OMG!*** SINGER SONGWRITER ALERT!***. Well if there's one thing I hate it's angsty singer / songwriters armed with acoustic guitars and reams of faux-meaningful lyrics.
I guess the problem is that I usually listen on a musical rather than lyrical level, and apart from geniuses such as Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker, Paul Smith & Eddie Argos, if i'm honest with you I rarely manage to work out what (if anything) songs are all about. And in this oevre, if you take away the lyrics you're usually left with someone twanging an acoustic guitar over a tepid drum beat.
Now i'm not going to make any grand claims for Richard McGraw's lyrical genius. Although the words sound great, to be honest with you after 3 or 4 listens to the album I couldn't tell you what many of the songs are about other than he's pretty unhappy.
But strangely, I really really liked this from the start, and was quickly sucked into his tales of mortality and memorial. For Richard McGraw, for that is he, has got the blues. And a voice to match. Either he's spent the majority of his 28 years staring into an empty whiskey glass, or he needs to get some throat sweets.
The packaging also gives the impression of some long lost blues recording... as if the etchings on the sleeve are the only remaining representations of some mystical Robert Johnson-type figure.
Remarkably, all the tracks on the album were recorded in one or two takes. Especially remarkable when you consider the range of instruments used here: Wurlitzer; Hammond; Tuba; Accordian; Trumpet; The Gay Men's Choir of Newburgh! After that the money ran out... but from the sound of the record that's no bad thing. With unlimited funds the temptation can be to fiddle and tweak the life out of a recording until you're left with over-produced garbage.
The best track isn't really representative of the rest of the record, with it's jaunty Belle & Sebastian vibe. However you will find yourself whistling along from the first bar. Seemingly about a drunken high school shag that meant nothing to Natasha, but about which the protagonist still dreams many years later. (You see... I can attempt this lyrical analysis lark!), it's none the less pretty poptastic. After all, Matthew Fluxblog posted it up!
RICHARD McGRAW - NATASHA IN HIGH SCHOOL
It was pretty hard to decide on another track to post, since they're all excellent. However after careful deliberation I think this is my other favourite
RICHARD McGRAW - ARE YOU STILL
It's like the Tindersticks on 20 B&H a day instead of 80.
So in a just world, this guy would be selling millions of albums instead of James Blunt, David Gray and the like. Maybe you could make your little contribution by buying it. However it doesn't seem as if it's that widely available. If you're in the states then CDBaby looks like your best bet.
I am now contractually obliged by Rupert Murdoch to point you towards his myspace page where you can listen to some other songs. Album opener 'Butter Hill' is also highly recommended. Well, as are the other two in fact. Yeah I really like this, and I hope it gets the success it deserves.
Well I had to slip this lovely thing in the CD player... only to find ***OMG!*** SINGER SONGWRITER ALERT!***. Well if there's one thing I hate it's angsty singer / songwriters armed with acoustic guitars and reams of faux-meaningful lyrics.
I guess the problem is that I usually listen on a musical rather than lyrical level, and apart from geniuses such as Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker, Paul Smith & Eddie Argos, if i'm honest with you I rarely manage to work out what (if anything) songs are all about. And in this oevre, if you take away the lyrics you're usually left with someone twanging an acoustic guitar over a tepid drum beat.
Now i'm not going to make any grand claims for Richard McGraw's lyrical genius. Although the words sound great, to be honest with you after 3 or 4 listens to the album I couldn't tell you what many of the songs are about other than he's pretty unhappy.
But strangely, I really really liked this from the start, and was quickly sucked into his tales of mortality and memorial. For Richard McGraw, for that is he, has got the blues. And a voice to match. Either he's spent the majority of his 28 years staring into an empty whiskey glass, or he needs to get some throat sweets.
The packaging also gives the impression of some long lost blues recording... as if the etchings on the sleeve are the only remaining representations of some mystical Robert Johnson-type figure.
Remarkably, all the tracks on the album were recorded in one or two takes. Especially remarkable when you consider the range of instruments used here: Wurlitzer; Hammond; Tuba; Accordian; Trumpet; The Gay Men's Choir of Newburgh! After that the money ran out... but from the sound of the record that's no bad thing. With unlimited funds the temptation can be to fiddle and tweak the life out of a recording until you're left with over-produced garbage.
The best track isn't really representative of the rest of the record, with it's jaunty Belle & Sebastian vibe. However you will find yourself whistling along from the first bar. Seemingly about a drunken high school shag that meant nothing to Natasha, but about which the protagonist still dreams many years later. (You see... I can attempt this lyrical analysis lark!), it's none the less pretty poptastic. After all, Matthew Fluxblog posted it up!
RICHARD McGRAW - NATASHA IN HIGH SCHOOL
It was pretty hard to decide on another track to post, since they're all excellent. However after careful deliberation I think this is my other favourite
RICHARD McGRAW - ARE YOU STILL
It's like the Tindersticks on 20 B&H a day instead of 80.
So in a just world, this guy would be selling millions of albums instead of James Blunt, David Gray and the like. Maybe you could make your little contribution by buying it. However it doesn't seem as if it's that widely available. If you're in the states then CDBaby looks like your best bet.
I am now contractually obliged by Rupert Murdoch to point you towards his myspace page where you can listen to some other songs. Album opener 'Butter Hill' is also highly recommended. Well, as are the other two in fact. Yeah I really like this, and I hope it gets the success it deserves.
posted by headphonesex @ 7:58 PM
