|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LP
|
|
PICI 054LP
|
After releasing his seventh album The Odd Shower, The Bitter Springs' singer/songwriter Simon Rivers reinvented himself as Poor Performer, whose own debut, Like Yer Wounds Too, followed the same winning formula, widened somewhat by the inclusion of songs with a greater fragile beauty and introspection. Decades of self-releasing compact disc-only albums from the far southwestern suburbs of London, with scant regard for promotion or the normal machinations of showbiz did little to spread the word about Rivers' unique and prestigious talents. A conversational singer with a delightfully warm and convivial stone, Rivers' sense of the absurd and willingness to portray aspects of life generally unrecognised by pop music, one supposes it's not entirely unfair to have expect Top of The Pops to come calling. So what does this new guise -- Oldfield Youth Club -- have to offer? It's partially a revival of Rivers' first "real' band, Last Party, and it displays hallmarks of that band's youthful energy. Including members Kim Rivers and Neil Palmer (both from Last Party), as well as trumpeter/vocalist Alison Targett, Oldfield Youth Club is a band with an obvious musical kinship. There's a connection to the literal style of Vic Godard's Subway Sect (and members have been shared between both acts) or early Go-Betweens. There's an alchemical sensibility shared by all three acts wherein their words and tunes inform each other in a deceptively casual but arresting manner. It's hard not to love, a rare work that earns immediate affection and just grows better from there.
|