The Band Of Holy Joy first formed in 1984 and the peak of their success came in 1989 with the aptly titled album for Rough Trade - Manic, Magic, Majestic.
I was fortunate enough to see the band at this time and fell in love with the fragile grace of singer/lyricist Johnny Brown whose wavering voice always sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
Over a quarter of a century on, it is clear from this release that Brown has lost none of his passion or eccentricity. These days he sings with a slight rasp but he is still in remarkably good voice.
Some fine violin playing by Chris Brierley also ensures that their sound is not so far removed from the vaudeville folk style that made them almost famous.
The slow waltz of the opening track, Go Break The Ice, is a deceptively conventional tune but the bulk of the tracks on the album have a much more idiosyncratic quality.
The first curveball is The Observers Book Of Birds Eggs, a spoken word track wherein Brown reminisces over "the first book I ever owned" and how at the age of seven it prompted him out into the "ragged fields" in search of bird nests.
The content and delivery of other tracks means that Brown comes over like a Geordie reincarnation of Hamlet, marvelling, on the one hand, at the wonders of being alive (Oh What A Thing This Heart of Man) whilst pausing as if to ask "what is this quintessence of dust?".
|
Two tracks in particular are forewarnings of Earth's slow but sure demise . The Repentant is a first person narrative of a Beckett-like wanderer ("like some unclean beast of the street") ranting about mankind's capacity for self destruction.
In a similar dystopian vein, the long closing track, also spoken more than sung, is called A Clear Night, A Shooting Star, A Song For Boo and urges us to "turn off all appliances", commune with nature and enjoy the silence.
A hint of a more hopeful future comes in Shake The Dust Off Your Feet("somewhere there's a land that belongs to you and me") but the overriding message is pessimistic.
Despite the general bleakness of the songs, the rage and didactic spirit in Brown's words is, in itself, a cause for celebration, denoting, as it does. a band addressing present day issues rather than gloomily wallowing in the past.
Band of Holy Joy's Website
|
