Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer – There’s A Rumpus Going On
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| Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer - There's a Rumpus Going On |
Release Date: Out Now
For the last week or so I’ve been
waiting for this album to come my way, I just didn’t know it. With the world in
a downward spiral at the end of a truly horrible annus I was searching for
something to lift the spirits, something to defug my existence and along came
this little beauty. For those that aren’t already acquainted with Mr B the
Gentleman Rhymer you’re in for a real treat – just imagine Terry Thomas
blending Hip-Hop, Bigbeat and the Banjo and you’re only half-way there.
Opening with some swirling,
slightly disorientating electro squelches, Mr B samples the white noise of
politicians expertly not answering questions and introduces the album on the
aptly named ‘There’s A Rumpus Going On’ which taps in to a general feeling of
disgruntlement and miffedness. Or chap hero hits his stride on track 2,
however, as the lengthily titled ‘So Many Reggie Perrins in the Arse End of
Space’ gets the Banjo working full effect and makes a thoroughly danceable tune
out of the lyrical matter of the world being full of suicidal middle managers. ‘No
Character to Clear’ speaks to that common modern disease of worrying too much about
enjoying life rather than actually just getting on with living. It is, however,
the genius of ‘Hitler Gifs’ that shows off the sheer brilliance of a chap such
as Mr B. Wonky piano, the sound FX from an early arcade game and a shuffled
beat create a bed for our hero to rap, in the Queen’s English, about his
preference for ignoring tendencies towards rage and taking time to absorb
hilarious GIFs of Adolf Hitler. Mental but brilliant.
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| Mr B - Pantaloonie |
Musically, ‘Ollie and Stan’ is
probably my favourite track on the album as it brings back memories of Bentley
Rhythm Ace and Lemon Jelly at their best while we hear of Mr B’s love for
Laurel and Hardy. Meanwhile, ‘Sell Drugs in The Proper Manner’ is a two-minute
comedic blast at the establishment who police the selling and consumption of
drugs which causes the death of customer service. The piece de résistance sits
in the middle as we hear ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ sampled as a lead in to rant at
Kanye West played out via a conversation with West’s parents with Mr B taking
the part of a disgruntled Head Teacher. The utter joyous romp of ‘National
Trust’ is an ode to Britain’s network of country estates while ‘Still Can’t
Play the Trombone’ lets us all know that we are all great at something, even if
that isn’t playing a brass instrument. The kid’s TV theme inspired ‘Last of the
Unknown International Flâneurs’ extols the virtues of sauntering through the world’s
great cities delivered through a clipped English twang and a sense of reverie.
‘The Happy Song’ and ‘Boredom’ do
what they say on the tin set to the jauntiest of big beat Banjo romps and ‘The
Secret Ingredient’ is a woozy summery Banjo lead romp that steers this album
towards its ultimate inevitable conclusion. ‘Youth, Truth, Gin and Vermouth’ is
a nostalgic look back at life from a man who’s created, lived life and enjoyed the
full range of experiences and taken note of them all in readiness for such a
song. It’s hard to sum up an album as timely and welcome as this but in an era
of soundbites, brevity and simply not thinking things through (I’m looking at
you Brexiteers and Trumpites) it is a real (gin and) tonic to listen to a
collection of fourteen songs chock full of wit, wisdom and articulacy.
Edutainment in its purest form, then.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/gentlemanrhymer
Live Dates:
18th November – Madness House of Fun Weekender,
Minehead w/Madness
1st December – Junction, Cambridge
2nd December – Milton Keynes
9th December – The Islington, London
10th December – Old Joint Stock, Birmingham
13th December – Moth Club, Hackney
17th December – Cluny 2, Newcastle
18th December – Gulliver’s, Manchester
23rd December – The Venue, Torquay