The Sound of Meat

Onwards and upwards for Schnauser

     

It seems the move from parochial Weymouth to cosmopolitan Bristol has done Alan 'Schnauser' Strawbridge the power of good. The Sound of Meat is more ambitious than it's predecessor (Kill All Humans). The songs are more fully realised; the musical palate far broader. Swirling pianos reminscent of 'For the Benefit of Mr. Kite' decorate 'I wuv you mummy' and the Blur-esque instrumental 'I coludn't f**k a Gorilla'. Strawbrige's pining falsetto turns 'Homeless' into a mini-opera complete with thrilling string coda.

The sheer complexity of the songs can be initially disconcerting. The album is not immediately accessible but, rather like Costello's 'Imperial Bedroom' gets better and better on each listen. Schnauser are like a psychedelic Rush. They pack each song with any number of superb ideas, most discarded after a couple of bars. But this isn't show-off music. The constant shuffling of key and tempo changes reflect Strawbridge's unsettling and brooding lyrical ideas;'Why don't you make up your mind?' as he says himself on 'Justice'. The dissonant modern jazz of 'Everything is nice' sarcastically suggests that everything isn't.

There are fascinating little epics throughout The Sound of Meat.'I wuv you mummy', the album's stand-out track savagely skewers Spielberg's sacharin tear jerkers by way Joe Jackson's 'Stepping Out'. 'Last one picked' channels 10cc. And the nightmarish 'World of Whimsy', all distorted guitars and marching drums, goes well beyond anything previously attempted.

In short, The Sound of Meat is a truly mind-expanding experience. Buy it for the lush harmonies, the glorious instrumentation and the uncompromising originality of its song writing.