Sinister: Tigermilk Statue

[Nick.Dastoor at xxx.uk]

Spanners wrote:

>At the end of the ceremony, we can cut all the tapes down and give
>everyone theirs back, but with a little knot of someone elses copy on it. (A
>kind of blood brotherhood of bootleggers). Anyway, most sensible people will
>cut the tape in the middle of Electronic Renaiisance, so no damage done
>there.

At this point I feel I ought to drag Peter Miller's fat face over here and make
him open and close his mouth for me but not let any noise come out, because I am
terrible at being speechless myself.  Witness:

I could be mistaken, but do I detect a casual slagging of 'Electronic
Renaissance' from Spanners?  Speak for yourself, matey.  I know it's not the
most objective arbiter of worth, but THAT SONG MADE ME CRY ONCE.  I'm not
normally one for self-consciously crap retro synth-led nonsense, but by gosh it
works with this track.  When I hear the boy Stuart utter the lines 'If you work
for much very longer / You'll be known as the boy who's always working' and it
echoes away into the void beyond, it never fails to bring about a strange
shudder.  The stuff about Funkadelic and saying hello is all a bit of nonsense
but oooehoo maybe that's the point.  I dunno.  Maybe it's all a big joke and I'm
an idiot, but I don't care.  Didn't someone once say Stuart M recorded to prove
to someone (maybe 'DJ Beans') that any fool could write this 'modern disco
music' that goes down so well with the kids?  I may have dreamed that.  It's
funny - Stuart always seemed too cool for obvious indie music leanings, but I
get the impression that he isn't.  I bet he's bought Shed Seven's Greatest Hits.

Anyway, I think I only get cross when I hear people dismiss 'Electronic
Renaissance' because I imagine that it's out of some indie guitar purity
mindset.  Of course it might be that people just don't like the track, which is
fair enough (but wrong, obviously).  After all, I'm not that keen on A Space Boy
Dream myself...

Generally, I have been being a hi-fi bore with the Tigermilk rerelease.  I never
knew there was so much in it!  They must be very cross that they managed to
perform such a feat in five days when they seem to need months to get it right
these days. I mean, the tape I had before wasn't bad at all, but this is a
revelation.  So far I've not heard Stuart getting overexcited on his chair,
though.  Has anyone else?

But really, the band play a stormer - get yourself a good set of headphones and
listen to everything that's going on in 'The State That I Am In', for example.
Organs, guitars, strings, vocal harmonies - all arranged by some kind of angel.
Bugger perfect three minute pop songs - this one makes 4'56'' seem the only
template worth bothering about.  I don't know what I'm going on about.  I'm just
happy.

However, I'll fight anyone who says it's their best album.  It's a little jewel,
but I really think that Stuart has really grown as a lyricist since then. I am
beginning to see why the band weren't happy with the recording with If You're
Feeling Kiddies.  Despite it still being my favourite album (best consistent set
of songs - and, I suppose, the album I fell in love with them to) it has got a
kind of stripped down sound when you compare it to the others.  Kind of good in
a way, because it lets whole album hang together seamlessly, but I do wonder
what a song like 'Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying' would sound like given a
less weedy production.  A Stax-style horn climax might be nice.

Ooh, marie's just written in to to stick up for that disco nonsense too.
Hurrah!

Nick xx





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