Garbage Town is the second album by Mick Butler since he became Sicky a one-man band. Mick was previously in Sumo and Papa Mantra, he is currently based in Shropshire.
The album opens with the first single from the album The Bridge that isn't about that TV program but is about finding a way to step back from the precipice, find a way forwards to feeling better, this has breathy vocals that go over the swirling organ, handclap style drumming, with all sorts of guitar lines cutting through, helping make this a catchy, insistent tune.
Swim Shallow takes a T-Rex rhythm and reworks it into this dark tune about not diving to the depths but remaining in the shallows as he doesn't want to lose you. Health and safety seem to be the key to this shuffling song with gruff vocals.
Beans channels XTC into a song with some odd imagery, with the music going to odd places, while sounding straight, as it finally comes to life a bit more, with more lines about getting out of the depths, how far can one man sink.
None Of That is the sound of children's TV music, as Sicky sings about all the violence, tragedy he has in his head, as he wants to be able to live in a world that isn't full of violence and hatred, no more cavalcade of death on the news. Instead, a world full of creation and love.
A Bite Without A Mark has squelchy synths, stop start percussion, guitars and high pitched then low pitched vocals on this twisted love song of pain and disintegration.
Sleep On It is semi-rapped semi sung song to try to get over the problems and arguments, with a panoply of strange parts coming through the mix as that acoustic guitar sounds ever more sinister, as this ends up having elements of Leonard Cohen and Led Zeppelin but is nothing of the sort.
Head First is a separation lullaby, serene heartfelt words of love, need, want, in hushed tones, rocking in each other's arms, dreaming of being together forever.
Protect Me Protect Mine has an 80's synth pop sound, the strings rise, the pulsing noises babbling through the denials, the need to protect your nearest and dearest amid all the trauma, like you're trying to escape from a war zone that shouldn't exist.
Garbage Town is a song for after the fighting is over and you can see daylight again, strident pulsating indie rock to bring about that brighter day as you hope to rebuild better.
New Bones is a song dear to my heart, as this is being written as I convalesce waiting for the holes in my shoulder bone to heal up, so the message of needing new bones is dear to my heart, probably for different reasons to Sicky's ones.
Einstein's Baby is built around a pulse and vocals effects, reminiscent of The Crockett's at the most windblown end of things.
The album closes with Times Ten is burnished thoughts on life and wanting to live a long full life, getting to live a better life gently floating downbeat dusky cabaret of life closer.
Find out more at https://sicky.hearnow.com/garbage-town-2 https://sicky2.bandcamp.com/album/garbage-town https://www.facebook.com/sicky333
