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Avg: 4.0 (337 ratings)
- Date Released: June 26, 2000
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Alternative
- Label: XL Recordings
Ambitious, eclectic, and a bit strange, this is one auspicious debut
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We Say...
This ambitious, mind-rearranging debut album by Damon Gough, better known as Badly Drawn Boy, holds an amusement park's worth of warped and beautiful noise. Lovely and curious, twisted but sunny, it's a terrific mess of a baroque folk-pop opus, a low-budget masterwork with multilayered songs that are both wickedly self-indulgent and masterfully catchy. On this essentially solo effort, the 18 tracks veer entertainingly through cello-and-trumpet chamber pop ("The Shining"), breezy pop tunes ("Pissing in the Wind," "Magic in the Air"), rhythmic deconstruction a la Latin Playboys ("Body Rap"), fake jazz matched with an accordion ("Bewilder") and cool sonic experiments delivered in the lo-fi, postmodern tradition ("Blistered Heart"). Several water-themed tracks, including "Fall in a River," reflect the gurgling textures and wavy shimmer of sonic treatments used throughout the disc. If there's a weak spot, it's Gough's singing on tracks like the playful fiddle romp "Disillusion" — his voice sounds only serviceable against the creative whimsy of the songs here. Luckily, it's easy to get around — his voice serves as a vehicle for some whacked effect as much as it does for the lyrics. In any case, the instrumental inventions alone were enough to make this one of 2000's best albums.
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They Say...
What has the field of lo-fi slacker pop come to when faced by an LP as ambitious and entertaining as Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast? Despite all attempts to sabotage his songwriting and production with innumerable experimental tidbits, songs within a song, and (seemingly) tossed-off arrangements, Damon Gough has to face the fact that he wrote and produced over a dozen excellent songs of baroque folk-pop for his album debut, and the many gems can't help but shine through all the self-indulgence. The sprightly orchestration for cello and trumpet (Gough's own) that begin the album are eventually taken over by the sparse guitar pickings and wistful folky sunshine of "The Shining," which veers into the skewed slide guitar and ominous tone of "Everybody's Stalking." Gough rarely pauses for breath (even when he's doing a ballad) or follows any traditional sense of album flow, but after a listen or two, The Hour of Bewilderbeast is revealed as a shambling masterpiece of a pop album. Most of these songs are Gough's entirely (he plays as many as eight instruments), with occasional help from friends like Twisted Nerve co-labelhead Andy Votel and assorted drummers for accompaniment. His songwriting is great, but Gough's twisted sense of humor helps the album shine as well, as on "Fall in a River," where the down-a-lazy-river feel carries through to the point where not just Gough but the entire production is submerged with a splash and attendant warping of the sound. The Hour of Bewilderbeast surely isn't a traditional pop album, but a continually beguiling trip through lo-fi postmodern folk that draws as much from Harry Nilsson as Beck.
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| 01. |  |
The Shining |
5:18 |
|
| 02. | |
Everybody's Stalking |
3:39 |
|
| 03. | |
Bewilder |
0:48 |
|
| 04. | |
Fall in a River |
2:17 |
|
| 05. | |
Camping Next to Water |
3:50 |
|
| 06. | |
Stone on the Water |
3:58 |
|
| 07. | |
Another Pearl |
4:27 |
|
| 08. | |
Body Rap |
0:46 |
|
| 09. | |
Once Around the Block |
3:44 |
|
| 10. | |
This Song |
1:32 |
|
| 11. | |
Bewilderbeast |
3:30 |
|
| 12. | |
Magic in the Air |
3:43 |
|
| 13. | |
Cause a Rockslide |
5:55 |
|
| 14. | |
Pissing in the Wind |
4:19 |
|
| 15. | |
Blistered Heart |
1:50 |
|
| 16. | |
Disillusion |
5:19 |
|
| 17. | |
Say It Again |
4:41 |
|
| 18. | |
Epitaph |
3:51 |
|
18 Total Tracks, 63:27 Total Length
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Credits
- Gary Wilkinson - Keyboards // Gary Wilkinson - Producer // Gary Wilkinson - Engineer // Gary Wilkinson - Drum Programming // Gary Wilkinson - Siren // Derrick Santini - Handclapping // Jez Williams - Guitar (Electric) // Jez Williams - Slide Guitar // Spencer Birtwhistle - Drums // Badly Drawn Boy - Guitar (Acoustic) // Badly Drawn Boy - Guitar // Badly Drawn Boy - Piano // Badly Drawn Boy - Guitar (Bass) // Badly Drawn Boy - Guitar (Electric) // Badly Drawn Boy - Vocals // Badly Drawn Boy - Slide Guitar // Badly Drawn Boy - Main Performer // Badly Drawn Boy - String Arrangements // Ken Nelson - Producer // Andy Votel - Piano // Andy Votel - Arranger // Andy Votel - Keyboards // Andy Votel - Programming // Andy Votel - Producer // Andy Votel - Artwork // Andy Votel - Drum Programming // Andy Votel - Design // Andy Votel - Mixing // Andy Votel - Effects // Andy Votel - String Samples // Damon Gough - Guitar // Damon Gough - Keyboards // Damon Gough - Programming // Damon Gough - Vocals // Sean Kelly - Drums // Andy Williams - Drums // Paul Anthony Taylor - String Arrangements // Joe Robinson - Sound Effects // Joe Robinson - Producer // Joe Robinson - Engineer // Joe Robinson - Loops // Joe Robinson - Drum Programming
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