The cover of Oddernity has a picture of a generic shopping centre. Outside it stands a man in a pink bunny outfit holding a drooping carrot. I think the message can be generally interpreted as ‘modern life is rubbish and no amount of eccentricity or quirky defiance will ever save you’.
The Bon Scotts aren’t going to give up though. As if the band name and album title weren’t enough they have songs called Evolution No. 9 and Girl With The Oversized Ear. They possess lyrics that actually make you stop in your tracks and play the song again to figure out where they came from: “You’re as crooked as British teeth”, “The songs of our youth will all be jingles in time”, “The alien spoke to me like a Scandinavian on the radio” are all lyrics They Might Be Giants would even think twice about before committing to tape.
Despite having a line up that can swell up to ten members, The Bon Scotts don’t deliver the huge anthemics of Arcade Fire or The Polyphonic Spree. Instead they concentrate on spontaneity and looseness. Apart from the pub-sing-along backing vocals, there are very few instances you’d guess more than a handful of people were making the music. As a result the album remains thoroughly charming throughout. Instruments (including guitars, glockenspiels, kazoos, organs…) appear to get passed around and disappear between songs. It feels as if we are listening into an after hours jam session between a group of friends.
|
Generally it’s great. Still, there are a few moments where the whole concept sits uncomfortably. Even with the flamboyance of The Bon Scotts attitude, the dark and disillusioned subject matter means certain moments fail to convince. They are left in the tricky situation of not being joyful enough to allow the listener to get swept away in the feel of it, and unfortunately not being incisive enough with their social commentary to create a thoroughly absorbing piece of work.
This criticism only becomes apparent after repeated listens however. Taken as individual tracks you’ll find a huge amount to love with the unexpected instrumentation, rowdy choruses and pithy word play. As a whole though, the album seems to be searching for a constant identity that it never discovers.
Towards the end of the album we get the glorious refrain “Don’t sing sad, sad songs, if you’re not such a sad, sad fellow”. If The Bon Scotts can decide which side of the spectrum they’re willing to belong to, they could be a very vital proposition.
Check out The Bon Scotts at Bandcamp
|
