The opener from the latest Green Child album Shimmering Basset moves like a dream; the drunken, weaving synths and Raven Mahon‘s light, airy vocals are captivating. It is all synthy heaven and stuns of spectral guitar, as if the duo caught sight of an ’80s synth band through a fun house mirror and added some post-modern vibe to it.
It all kind of sounds familiar, but not really; the breeze of the electronics, the light touches, the abstract imagery — it is all whisked up into a frothy delight that is topped with Raven’s delightful voice. There is an effortless cool here, an intoxicating simplicity and it is intoxicated in its delivery. The obscure lyrics also draw you in, as when they sing “Simple but how? / You are in my cells” on “Dreamcom”, it really does cause you to ask questions.
The keys seem out of kilter at times, the drumming has a pretty idiosyncratic approach, but though it all, the voice is unruffled and floating across whatever patchwork of sounds is cobbled together. “Tony Bandana” is pretty heavy, with some real oomph in the bass courtesy of Arron Mawson, but the xylophone and bicycle spoke-filled “Health Farm” sounds as if it is about to collapse. The intriguing synth and awkward rhythm is like somebody half-heard and half-remembered a Thompson Twins track and then reimagined and rewrote it.
Bravo to Upset The Rhyhtm for putting this out on LP, and three cheers to The Green Child for producing this odd but charming collection of alternative chart-toppers. If only there was some justice in the music world.
-Mr Olivetti-
