Wassailer - I, the Bastard (Empty Streets 
Records)
Release Date: Out Now
It has taken me a couple of listens to get my ears and head around this release from Wassailer but I have eventually come to the conclusion that 'I, the Bastard' is a work of wonky, junk-shop genius so let's have a rummage shall we? The album opens with 'Foreplay', a track which journeys from slurred rantings through trip-hop beats and spoken-word confessional to woozy vocal harmonies without missing a beat. 'Trad' slides in to view like Cosmo Sheldrake performing the role of the shop keeper in Mr Benn, all dubby bass, nose flute melodies and layered vocals. It's an audacious start but it's up to you to hang in there and stick with it, Wassailer won't be slowing down to let you catch up.
'Miss Trolleys' has a rippling, undulating energy that makes you just want to sway in a dark tent during the hottest day of the year while 'Domestic Dogs Barking' takes elements of the Streets and the harpsichord sound off an old keyboard to create a poetic take on what dogs want to say to us and it resonates.The dark trip-hop vibes come back on 'Son' as you wander to the back of the thrift store to find sadly faded and long abandoned family portraits in dark wood frames, full of memories and regrets but with the possibility of new life if you're willing.
Wassailer has jazz influences running through this album and that is never more evident than on 'Ghosts' which matches a lazy piano riff and trumpet flourish with a laid-back beat and some soft, unassuming vocals to create the kind of tune you just want to drift away on. On 'Going to the Club', we find a lucky dip barrel of ideas with skittish beats and stabbing piano being joined at various intervals by defeated vocals, sampled voice clips and lyrical topics like Brexit and getting an email from your mum.
'Three Dots in a Bubble' is almost an indie-shoegaze track opening with the line "I'm so bored" sung with a heavy heart over a low sling guitar riff and plodding beat - encapsulating the futility of a life lived through Wi-Fi. There's a massive change in energy on 'Settlement' as Wassailer embraces his inner 90s DJ while '242' grows from late night lament to David Kitt-esque songwriting par excellence. The album finishes on the excellent recent single 'For Elsa' which pulls at every heart string in turn like someone trying to work out how to open a Venetian blind without wanting to wake the sleeping beauties in the room. Wassailer doesn't fit and these tracks don't necessarily fit together but I think that's the real strength of this album - like tapas or degustation, there is something for everyone but not necessarily everything for someone.
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