The PJP Band - And So It Goes (Ouf Records)
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| The PJP Band - And So It Goes |
Release Date: 3rd June 2013
Let's get something straight from
the get-go: The PJP Band's line up is drums, bass and keys but they are NOT the
new Ben Folds Five and they are DEFINITELY NOT the new Keane. Capiche? Super.
Right, now that that's out of the way, let me tell you about this debut
offering from the Cornish trio fronted by the enigmatic Patrick James Pearson.
And for a debut offering it is brave, damn brave. I mean how many other bands
introduce you to their sophomore long player with forty five seconds of Murray
Lachlan-Young-esque spoken word, almost spat at you but with just enough poise
to stop it from seeming threatening. Then it's straight in to 'Disciplines' with
its grumbling, rumbling bassline and booming drums paving the way for Pearson's
velvety smooth vocal that remind me of Brandon Boyd at his seductive best. The
breathy organ of 'Mountain Or Moses' lays a bright, white canvas for complex
lyrical pictures to be painted upon for us to gaze upon and find meaning in
time and time again. There is an almost undeniable likeness to the Doors in the
way some of these songs are created with Pearson unafraid to tackle
Manzarek-like keys work whilst simultaneously and effortlessly projecting
poetic yet organic verses. Meanwhile, Mike Osborne and Tim Langsford, Bass and
Drums respectively, have the ability and imagination of Jazz musicians which
adds at least two more layers to every song.
'Ole! We Ain't Prey' is probably
the first real anthem on the album and you could easily imagine an army of fans
singing "Blood was spilt in your coliseum" back at the band from
every corner of a packed, sweaty club. However,
it is on recent single 'Vicious Luck' that the trio sound most urgent, most
vital and most good. Most good. Similarities to the Pixies are not undeserved
but the huge organ sound, vocal harmonies and relentless drums gives this song
a entirely individual sound that it is hard to resist. For anyone who hasn't
read my review of 'I Am A Racer', all you need to know is that it should be an
Indie Disco Smash by the end of this year or those going to Indie Discos are
clearly deaf, dumb and more influenced by the soundtrack of Hollyoaks than I
had dared think possible. The refrain of "There is nobody like us" is
simple genius in the vein of Cobain's generation defying 'Smells Like Teen
Spirit' chorus. On 'Sweet Tokyo' the band explore the idea of the alternative
ballad, replete with throbbing organ and a frenzied spoken word middle-eight
but any sense of calm is, ironically, broken by the rag-time stomp of 'Karm
& Condition'. As if this trio weren't versatile enough, 'The Chalk Divide'
sees them tackle the Beatles during that period when Lennon was at his most
political and the vocals at their most delayed.
At over six minutes long, 'Stone
Cold Cinema' is easy to dismiss as indulgent but take a second look. You'll
soon see that this is like the shy girl who enters the pub with her friends and
you don't notice her at first but when you see her standing awkwardly in the
light of the fire exit sign you see that she has the most honest eyes and the
most genuine smile you've ever seen - it's not love at first sight but none of
the best things ever are. The sombre tones of 'Long Time Runner' signal that
this journey is nearly at end but not before serenading with a wall of sound the
Flaming Lips would die for and a sense of end-of-stadium-show grandeur that
Springsteen would sagely nod his approval of - it perhaps should have been the
album closer. 'So It Goes' feels like a more straight down the line Indie romp,
as though Elvis Costello was singing with vintage Hives (that is in no way a
bad thing by the way). And then we arrive at the end, at the impossibly beautiful
'EMBRACEHER' with its gentle but persistent piano stabs slowly evolving in to a
love song so open and honest that it will surely be used by inarticulate men everywhere
to propose/say sorry/try to get laid.
All in all this is not only a
fantastic album it is also a sensational debut. The fact that an album of such
originality, passion, imagination, eloquence and joie de vivre has been created by just
three humble chaps from Cornwall not only breathes new life in to the music
scene but will also do an awful lot to dispel those outdated stereotypes that
people from the arse-end of England are, shall we say, culturally challenged.
That said, it's a proper 'ansome record
so geddon me boodies! (NB I'm allowed to say that, I'm born and bred in pasty
country).
More information: www.thepjpband.com
Live Dates:
9th June - Charles Causely Festival, Launceston
29th June - Eden Sessions, Eden Project, Cornwall (w/Kaiser
Chiefs, The Computers, Tom Tom Club, Deap Valley, Brother & Bones)
13th July - Castle Rock, Launceston
10th August - Boardmasters Festival, Newquay