Reverend and the Makers: The State of Things
The State of Things is the debut album from the Artic Monkeys' best mates
Also In The News
|
France got their Rugby World Cup campaign back on track after demolishing Namibia 87-10 in Toulouse. |  |
Monday, 17, Sep 2007 02:22
Wall of Sound, out September 17th.
In a nutshell.
Northern, raw, cocky, swagger-filled rock
What's it all about?
After touring up and down the country for the last two years or so, the cult band finally launch an official version of the State of Things. Owned on bootleg and free promo copy in one guise or another by students across the north of England, the album hits the shops and the mainstream public with 12 tracks of swagger.
The State of Things is kitchen-sink drama that matches the industrial town sound of the Artic Monkeys with the grown-up nonchalance of solo Ian Brown.With the north as a key reference point, the album twists and turns through funk, electro and out-and-out indie.
Who's it by
The Reverend, arguably one of the most arrogant men in music at the moment, is a close friend of the Artic Monkeys and has been performing to crowds of students and a die-hard contingent of fans since 2005.
Usually wearing all black and standing behind a microphone with his nose in the air, the Reverend, also known as John McClure, is a cult icon and backed with a guitar-wielding band made up of Ed Cosens, Tom Jarvis, Joe Moskow and Richy Westley.
The Reverend, so-called for his passionate speeches about issues close to his heart and his hold over the Sheffield scene of the mid 2000s, has been involved in a series of underground music projects in the steel city.
His dodgy dance moves while onstage with previous band 1984 were referenced by protégé Alex Turner in the Artic Monkeys' I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.
As an example.
"She's had a black one. She's had a white one. She's had a brown one.
And Johnny reckons that he saw her in the chemist buying oral contraception
It can't be for her hubby cos' he can't get an erection," What the Milkman Saw.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Living up to the Artic Monkeys could be a mean feat for the slightly-older Reverend. Mercury nominations look out of sight but the band could grab something like a Q Award.
What the others say
"An updated take on the Specials' equal disgust and infatuation with urban life, it's impressive," the Guardian.
"The music is a sprawling assembly of punky pop, big dance beats, reggae, funk, synth rock and even hyperactive ska," the Manchester Evening News.
So is it any good?
This is inspired stuff. Possibly the best album of 2005, but in late 2007 it sounds a little bit dated. Granted it is fresh and we should consider that it was McClure who acted as an inspiration to the Artic Monkeys, but it does sound like we've heard it all before.
Parallels with the aforementioned Monkeys, the Specials and Inspiral Carpets are hard to avoid. However, the Reverend and his band of merry Makers carry off what they do well and are bringing back a type of music much copied - but hardly achieved - by boys with straightened hair and skinny jeans.
The band are older - and perhaps wiser - than some of the other electro/indie upstarts out there and this set them apart. The lyrics have depth and meaning, with cultural references resting nicely against an unfaltering sense of self-awareness. The Reverend is telling it like it is and doing so against the backdrop of some rather funky beats.
Heavyweight Champion of the World sets the tone for the album more so than current single He Said He Loved Me. The anthem of the underdog punching above his weight for glory with jabs of self-conviction. Each beat of the song can constitute a punch against the knocks of life and the breakdown of "just be like everybody else" shows the monotony of urban life the Reverend is fighting against.
Sex with the Ex, Sundown on the Empire and Armchair Detectives are other tracks of note, all showing what the band can do with guitars, synthesisers and the dulcet tones of McClure.
The Reverend really does swagger his way through the CD, delivering acute observations and just the right amount of funk to make this a truly British record. This is a grown up man finally making his mark on the music world with two fingers up at life and one hand tapping his leg.
8/10
Rebecca Amir