Coconut
Mental. Just barmy. Archie Bronson Outfit may not have run away with the number 1 spot, but they clinched it in the end – and this record is probably the weirdest I’ve ever had at the top of the list.
Where its main rival – White Crosses – is formulaic, Coconut is anything but. Which is probably what pushed it over the line. As varied as an album can get, it is at times difficult to remember that all these tracks are written and played by the same three guys. Yet, like Broken Social Scene’s Forgiveness Rock Record, somehow nothing seems out of place and this most eclectic of albums feels like a record rather than a collection of songs. That’s in part due to a unifying production – or lack of. There is a deliberate absence of production values here, which is perfect for these songs. Whatever the band are up to at any given point (and it could be pretty much anything), it all sounds equally raw and filthy, and that sense of grime helps to keep everything together. The lack of studio sheen also highlights just how good these songs are.
This is Archie Bronson Outfit’s third album, but I’ve not heard anything from the previous two. I bought this record based on a good review, and it was much better than I was expecting. From the almost painfully grating scuzz riff of opener ‘Magnetic Warrior’ – through the lo-fi dance rock of ‘Hula’, punk carnage of ‘Wild Strawberries’ and Caribbean funk of ‘Chunk’ – to the incessant drum powered sing-along of album closer (and best track on the record) ‘Run Gospel Singer’, Coconut is both absolutely insane and completely brilliant.
The free DVD which came with edition I have is the best ‘add on’ to any album ever: consisting of a homemade video for every track on the album, it is hilarious, but also a great lesson in how images – even cheap home cinema images - can enhance music.
Not for everyone. Or probably even most people: I think anyone who just heard the terrible droning of mid-point interlude ‘You Have The Right To A Mountain Life’ without hearing it placed in the context of the album as a whole would rightly run a mile. I would say try before you buy – but, this album came from nowhere in March and has certainly been played more than any other 2010 record I own. Which means it deserves its place at the top of the pile. A mind-bending slice of (coco)nutty genius.
Where its main rival – White Crosses – is formulaic, Coconut is anything but. Which is probably what pushed it over the line. As varied as an album can get, it is at times difficult to remember that all these tracks are written and played by the same three guys. Yet, like Broken Social Scene’s Forgiveness Rock Record, somehow nothing seems out of place and this most eclectic of albums feels like a record rather than a collection of songs. That’s in part due to a unifying production – or lack of. There is a deliberate absence of production values here, which is perfect for these songs. Whatever the band are up to at any given point (and it could be pretty much anything), it all sounds equally raw and filthy, and that sense of grime helps to keep everything together. The lack of studio sheen also highlights just how good these songs are.
This is Archie Bronson Outfit’s third album, but I’ve not heard anything from the previous two. I bought this record based on a good review, and it was much better than I was expecting. From the almost painfully grating scuzz riff of opener ‘Magnetic Warrior’ – through the lo-fi dance rock of ‘Hula’, punk carnage of ‘Wild Strawberries’ and Caribbean funk of ‘Chunk’ – to the incessant drum powered sing-along of album closer (and best track on the record) ‘Run Gospel Singer’, Coconut is both absolutely insane and completely brilliant.
The free DVD which came with edition I have is the best ‘add on’ to any album ever: consisting of a homemade video for every track on the album, it is hilarious, but also a great lesson in how images – even cheap home cinema images - can enhance music.
Not for everyone. Or probably even most people: I think anyone who just heard the terrible droning of mid-point interlude ‘You Have The Right To A Mountain Life’ without hearing it placed in the context of the album as a whole would rightly run a mile. I would say try before you buy – but, this album came from nowhere in March and has certainly been played more than any other 2010 record I own. Which means it deserves its place at the top of the pile. A mind-bending slice of (coco)nutty genius.
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