Lunch Lady – Angel / Robert Sotelo – Infinite Sprawling

Upset The Rhythm

In their quest for world domination, Upset The Rhythm are going great guns with their release schedule. The latest two tasty treats to arrive are from opposite ends of the sonic spectrum and from both sides of the Atlantic.

Lunch Lady hail from Los Angeles, and the album crashes into our consciousness with title track “Angel” in an ’80s goth style that is tasty and liberating. The bass is all slinky and primal, and has the sort of sound that wouldn’t have looked out of place crawling around Leeds in 1984. The harsh guitar and forceful drums back up Rachel Birke’s voice, a little unsteady and unwilling to push too hard — which considering some of the subject matter scattered across the twelve tracks, is possibly understandable. These are dark tales of small lives and unwelcome desires that subtly capture the less salubrious side of the American dream.

The songs really fly along, often hastened by Robert Wolfe‘s insistent drums. Juan Velasquez‘s reverb guitar on “Sweet One” adds a stinging retro quality, but there is no obvious contemporary comparison. They have taken certain elements and twisted them into their own little backyard world where Rachel’s low, confessional vocals add some bitter icing to a gaudy birthday cake, where the smiles are forced and the sunshine leaking through the slats is harsh and just a little too bright.

They are great musicians, but they employ a subtlety that doesn’t overwhelm Rachel’s voice. On “Window’, the band offer a backdrop that shrouds her hushed voice, and the lyric “My hands are as clean as a remembered thing” is a particularly affecting image that mixes perfectly with the drums. There are no sharp edges on the percussion here, and perhaps they feel that they are too dangerous in this febrile atmosphere. The glimpse of a Californian blue sky appears in the shimmering guitar of “Snakes”, a raised note from Rachel implying a sense of unease, and in the full-tilt tornado of “My Dead Dog” a graphic and desperate tale speeds by in a blur, as if trying to overlook the darkness inside.

“Pardon Me Miss” is really catchy, but also really creepy and moves away from the gothy sound of earlier to something jerkier and punkier, while on “Dolores”, they take on a shimmering desert sound that opens up the brooding vistas and floats high in the mix, like a soaring bird caught in the glare of the sun. She isn’t bothered at all that “He could kill me in a heartbeat”, and the darkness that is at play here seems all the more harsh for the shiny momentum of the music.

There are some lachrymose strings on the slow Americana of “Preacher Man”, and you can assume that the reverend is not a decent guy underneath the veneer, as a slow and blunt surf guitar motif backs the deadened ache of her voice. “Young Bride” pushes the pace a little, with an echo of The Cure in Victor Herrera‘s bass sound, while the girl in question is assured that “There is nothing out there but a man with a gun”. Somehow, the lightness and speed of the musical backing manages to offset the dark heart at the core of the song, and it is that juxtaposition that makes the album work so well.

If Angel were a doomy metal type record, the effect would be lost; but here, you feel there could be a little hope, though from where we are unsure. The album signs off with the perky “Deeper”, but even here we discover that “My body is a hole, it gets deeper and deeper” — and then like a flash the music is gone. It kind of feels like a dream, not a nightmare; a dream where we are not confident of escaping unscathed, but just manage by the skin of our teeth. Angel is well worth a delve in if you like your sweetness with a dash of salt.

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On the other side of the coin, Robert Sotelo makes his eager return with Infinite Sprawling.

After the cassette sojourn with Botanical, Upset The Rhythm release his first LP after the move to Glasgow and it is a seriously invigorated Robert that we find regaling us with bedsit tales and leafy park-bench dreams. Whether his engagement has had an effect on his outlook or whether the escape from London was much needed, there is just a touch more positivity, both in the delivery and also the lively musical accompaniment.

Opener “Something Besides” finds whimsy in full effect, but it sounds like suburban streets awash with the glitter of recent rain. The cry of the guitar and the gentle tinkle of electric piano are like the glimpsed faces seen behind net curtains. The observer is back home now, and you missed him because he was out early, revelling in the dawn’s early light. There is more energy here and the drums really push “Mr Robert” into a canter, with Joan Shelley‘s voice adding a delightful counterpoint to Robert’s, although it does sound as though he is enjoying the company and the subtle shimmer of reverb nodding in the background.

“There’s mayhem from behind the cupboard door”, we are told on “The Set Up”, which is vibrant and full of joyful “Yeah yeah yeahs” and wistful guitar curls. Robert sounds at one with life all over the album, and the bash of the cymbals and the positive sweep of violin only enhances that feeling. The sound of crickets and use of the word “bosques” is enough to keep me happy with a song, and if this is a warning against the infinite sprawl toward which we as a society are headed, then how better to hear it than like this.

Robert follows in a great vein of British eccentrics, and the line “Caught up with friends and did the ironing” must sum up so many more peoples’ lives than driving through California with the top down. In places I am reminded of The Bølshoi‘s Trevor Tanner due to the charm of delivery and the love of the language in a poetic manner that is not overly abstract or impressionistic. There is an embracing of what a lot of other writers might consider the mundane that sets Robert apart, and once again on “Piece Of Cake” he is singing about the preparation of food set to a leisurely bass and cowbell-infused shuffle, which is just really enjoyable.

There is a darker energy to “Battery”, reflecting the anxiety of the song with the crowd noise of a lively party rumbling during the instrumental break, while the album bows out with the much slower, almost medieval-toned “Message Of Beauty”. The drums do bring it a little up to date, but the spare guitar and romantic “Ba ba bas” give it a light, airy tone that wafts the album to a close.

Once again, Robert Sotelo has changed direction and altered his sound enough to set this album apart from his previous efforts. It does sound as though Glasgow agrees with him, and it will be interesting to see where this new-found vitality will take him next.

-Mr Olivetti-