Jill Turner: sings along to 'ABCDEFG' the new album from Chumbawamba could easily be subtitled 'Our Life in A Song'. Seventeen cleverly crafted songs and ditties for all occasions, upbeat and with catchy melodies this is the poppy end of British Folk.
In their own inimitable style, the songs are full of irony, politics, wit and overlaid soundbites. Lou, Boff, Jude, Neil and Phil ( you can have fun matching the names to the shoes on the cover) make light of the darkest of subjects, torture, ex-communication and late night back street brawls and will even get you toe tapping and singing along to such subject matters, before you know it.
a joyous album with a knack for turning tradgedy into travesty
This is a joyous album with a knack for turning tradgedy into travesty, as in the case of 'Wagner at the Opera' one of my favourite tracks. But..saving the best to last, the icing on the cake has to be the album's closing track, 'Dance Idiot Dance'. With Morris bells in the background there's no metaphores here. Its a straight up mockery of The British National Party's attempts to misappropriate folk music and infiltrate the folk scene, for their own racist and nationalistic agenda. Listen out for the rhyming couplet, Cold Lasagne and Britannia .... only Cumbawamba...marvellous.
The album ABCDEFG
Chumbawamba start a thirteen date UK tour in March with support from O'Hooley and Tidow.
