Badly Drawn Boy
(ArtistDirect)
Badly Drawn Boy's new disc, starts off and there's a party going on in the speakers. A party that involves a ferris wheel and a pi??ata. This carnival atmosphere is the backdrop to one of the most creative rock albums to come out in a long time.
If any recent CDs could be compared to the style of this one, it would be Phish's or Beck's . There were also sounds of Ben Folds Five, Cake, Pink Floyd, Raffi and the Beatles. Not that Badly Drawn Boy sounds anything like these individual bands. That is, there are melodies scattered throughout the disc that are reminiscent of earlier sounds while maintaining an overall originality that's surprising.
Never sticking with one style, each song surprises. Instruments involved include horns, strings, piano, organ and the usual guitar bass and drums. One song begins that sounds like a funked up version of \Sexual Healing,"" which makes as much sense on the album as the guy dressed up as a nun on the cover. In fact, the best way to describe the music is to look at the album art. On the back, there is a scene on a plane with a lizard in a suit sitting in front of a man with a giant fishbowl in his lap sitting in front of a tuba player.
There is something comfortably familiar in the weirdness of Badly Drawn Boy. The elements of folk, classic rock, jam band, big band, punk, ska, and funk are recognizable, but having them together in one place creates the adventurous atmosphere that makes up
But then things slow down halfway through the album at the song ""Centrepeace,"" which, unironically, is song eight on a 15 song album. This is just one example of how this album comes across as well thought out. While things sag off toward the end, it would be impossible for it to match the energy of the first seven songs. And even while things are slowed down, Badly Drawn Boy is creative enough to keep it interesting. Bottom line: This is not only a fun CD to listen to but also intriguing.
