This is my first blog article, and you may well notice that it is a review for an album which has already been out for more than a month. Bear with me whilst I exercise my writing muscles and get this somewhere on track.
Album: Broken Down Gentlemen
Artist; Faustus
Track List
- Broken Down Gentlemen
- American Stranger
- Blow The Windy Morning
- Prentice Boy
- Banks of the Nile
- Captain's Apprentice
- Og's Eye Man
- I Wish, I Wish
- Lovely Johnny
- Thrashing Machine
Overview
This is the second album from Faustus, following their self-titled debut back in 2008 (That is, not counting their stint as Dr. Faustus 2003 - 2005. So that I have to do less research/writing, we're discounting Dr. Faustus as a different band entirely) So, we've been waiting getting on for five years for this, and frankly (for me at least) Broken Down Gentlemen (BDG) has a lot to live up to. For me, the first Faustus album was a wonderful palate cleanser after hearing both Benji and Paul performing in Bellowhead. Where Bellowhead are a massive stage presence with stacks of bombast and some cunning takes on what folk music actually is, Faustus pare things right down to a three-man operation putting out really solid, emotive and traditional songs. That's not to say that I don't like Bellowhead, but a man can't survive on horn sections alone.
Favourite Tracks
For me, as a fan of sea shanties, the stand-out track on this album has to be Og's Eye Man. The opening Bouzouki lick and Saul Rose's driving melodeon bass notes set a really punchy tone for the song, setting a wonderful counterpoint for Paul Sartin's (typically) languorous vocal style and some wonderful harmony lines. It is listed in the sleeve notes as being paired with a Benji Kirkpatrick-penned tune called "Ring her bell", but for me it was hard to pick out a tune that was particularly distinct from the melody line of the song. Perhaps that's just my poor ear, who knows?
Frankly, any song which finds a way to include the phrase "the cheeks of her arse going chuff-chuff-chuff" get's an instant thumbs up from me. Make of that mental image what you will.
Special mention also to Banks of the Nile, a wonderful version of a classic "man goes to war - woman wants to go with him - man says no and goes off to kill Johnny Foreigner" story. Poor Johnny Foreigner. Such an unfortunate name :-( Good track though - wonderful textural build up taking nearly the entire length of the track.
Least Favourite Tracks
I'm brought to mind of a review I heard Saul Rose quote last time I saw Faustus live which was that "nobody does misery like Paul Sartin." I can see what the reviewer meant - Paul seems especially keen to find the most depressing folk songs he can find to drag out and lament over. Sometimes it works wonderfully - Brisk Lad off of Faustus is one of my favourite folk tracks ever, and I think Paul Sartin's voice suits it wonderfully. However, his slow, lamenting tracks on BDG just seem to slow the album right down. Which is not to say that they are poorly done, but for me at least they are perhaps poorly placed on the album. I'd like to hear Paul Sartin doing something more upbeat (more like Og's Eye Man... see above). Perhaps on the next album we can convince him to record Summer is Icumen in. I'd like that.
Review
Broken Down Gentleman is a well-craft album from people who obviously have a very good working relationship and sense of musicianship. Aside from a few pacing problems brought about by Paul Sartin over-indulging in melancholy, I think this is likely to be one of the best albums we see all year. On a ten-track album, it would have been nice to see another tune set - the three self-penned tunes on Faustus were stonking (Google has not told me that word is wrong... I thought Stonking was a Yorkshireism), and another set like that would have been a welcome addition.
Still, fully recommending this album if you don't already have it, and you should definitely track them down next time they're playing live somewhere!
~Phill.
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