In a way it's a shame that Morton Valence have such a jokey image. The duo's name combines the name of a town in Gloucestershire with a Spanish province, they wear retro clothes and they describe themselves as "south London’s finest electric love ballad machine". And what are we supposed to make of the album cover portrait of Stalin?
The problem is with their wry plundering of kitsch culture is that you wind up listening out for non existent punch lines. It's not all deadly serious and you soon realise they are not just doing this for laughs.
Rather, an air of resigned cynicism undercuts many of the songs written by vocalist, guitarist Robert ‘Hacker’ Jessett. A couple are so slow and dreamily dreary they might even pass for Cowboy Junkies tunes!
The bold opening track is The Day I Went to Bed for 10 Years, a seven and a half-minute musical biopic tracing the ups and downs of a one time minor celebrity turned alcoholic who winds up resigned to the joys of domestic bliss after a near death experience - "and the beat goes on".
Old Punks is a more obviously tongue in cheek affair. It comes in two parts; a bossa nova lounge number morphing into a three chord thrash and features knowing references to The Clash ("I wear a Burton suit, you think it's funny") and the compromises you make as you get older.
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On Annie McFall, we get to hear the delicate voice of Anne Gilpin who assumes the role of a forgotten murder victim singing from beyond the grave. She is heard to even better effect on beautifully judged slow version of Randy Newman's chilling In Germany Before the War. The Return of Lola has Gilpin and Hacker duet-ing on a tribute/homage to the Kinks’ classic.
Also noteworthy is Boyfriend on Remand, co-written with Band of Holy Joy's Johny Brown. in which the line between violent crime and enterprise culture are blurred.
The world of Morton Valence is a pick and mix of musical styles and philosophical attitudes. It's not always easy to get a handle on what they are doing but enough of it works to keep you interested.
Morton Valence's website
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