The Duckworth Lewis Method: The Duckworth Lewis Method
The Duckworth Lewis Method release a self-titled concept album
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Thursday, 02, Jul 2009 03:54
Divine Comedy, out July 6th.
In a nutshell...
Cricket with a wearingly nostalgic twist
What's it all about?
Pop music and sport have always been uneasy bedfellows. There are exceptions, as formula one's return to the BBC has shown so clearly. But in general unless it's a major football tournament the charts don't get along too well with anything sport-related.
Which is why the appearance of a concept album devoted to the gentleman's game is so unusual. Think of cricket and you don't think of headbanging in Camden's grimy bars. The village green is about as un-rock'n'roll as it gets.
Ignoring these obvious disadvantages, we're presented with an album about cricket nonetheless. The songs range from the specific - a blow-by-blow account of Shane Warne's 'ball of the century' in Jiggery Pokery - to the generalised. And the entire history of the game is covered, too; from the modern upheavals of Twenty20 (The Age of Revolution) to the 19th century world of Gentlemen and Players. Through it all, the two characters of Duckworth and Lewis appear sporadically.
Who's it by?
Duckworth and Lewis are, in reality, Thomas Walsh and Neil Hannon. The latter is best-known as the creative force heading The Divine Comedy, that rather wistful band which hit its heyday in the late 90s. Hannon's latest project is a world away from hits like Something For The Weekend and The Frog Princess, but those familiar with his work will recognise his trademark phrases and production values. He's a man who's not afraid to go for the unorthodox approach to pop (remember National Express?) so it's no surprise he's behind this bizarre offering.
As an example
"What's this delivery? I might as well have been holding a cup of corn/Jiggery pokery who is this nobody making me look so forlorn?/I hate Shane Warne!" - Jiggery Pokery
"Show me the outfield from a zeppelin/Show me the coin toss that we never win/Peruse the paper, sip some Earl Grey tea/And let the Test Match Special set you free" - Test Match Special
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
A trip to Lord's to be crowned Cricket Album of the Year by the MCC might be justified, but given the target audience - nostalgia-ridden middle-aged men wearing grass-stained whites - the glamour of bigger events doesn't really seem likely.
So is it any good?
As a concept album, The Duckworth Lewis Method ticks all the boxes. The songs all touch on the subject sport, even if some are more loosely connected than others. All aspects of the game are covered, from Test level through club matches to childhood games. And cricket's past isn't forgotten either.
But therein lies the problem. It's about cricket, that most unglamorous of sports. The tracks which try and conjure up the spirit of summers past, the sound of leather and willow and other desperate clichés are suffocating in their nostalgia. The instrumental Rain Stops Play is tedious. The opening The Coin Toss is cringeworthy. At times it seems cricket doesn't have that much to offer.
It's no surprise the best songs are only loosely related to the concept. The Nightwatchman paints a haunting, sinister portrait of waiting for a lost love, but it has nothing to do with James Anderson or any of his predecessors. Debut single The Age of Revolution has a certain old-world charm. And The Sweet Spot makes excellent use of double-entendre - it's a one-joke song, but performed with all of the insouciant twinkle in the eye that made The Divine Comedy so good.
We could have done with a bit more of that on this album. It's present in droves on Jiggery Pokery, performed in a cabaret-style and an unexpectedly infectious highlight. But the wistful pining for the dawn of the game gets old very quickly and drags the album down. The problem is summed up by Meeting Mr Miandad, a road-trip song about taking the kids to Pakistan in a VW campervan to meet its famous all-rounder. It's a middle-aged song about a middle-aged sport, and quickly loses its appeal. There might be one or two boundaries here, but overall The Duckworth Lewis Method misses the sweet spot.
4/10
Alex Stevenson