simple kid
there is a short story here. for any fact fans out there.
ciaran mcfeely was once in a band called the young offenders. they released a few singles of brash full on t-rex tinged guitar pop. they were destined for greatness, as are many others, according to the printed press of the day. i once took my 18 month old boy to a free festival in leeds back in 95 and the young offenders opened the day and thoroughly entertained me and twisted my mellons. they were superb live. i waited the lp, and i waited, i checked the website, then all went quiet.
that is until a recent magazine (hello bang!) freebie cd featured a track by simple kid the penny didn't drop. then out of the recess of my brain i made the connection, this is the new outlet for ciarans talent.
now the lp was a definite target.
i have now lived with the lp for 2 weeks. and, i have played this album more in that time than many other albums that i have had for 2 years.
its addictive.
yes, there are still elements of t-rex full on pop, there are the beck-type beatbox grooves, sheer melodic catchiness that athlete dip their toes into appears in excelsis, but, somehow the simple kid sound just grabs and doesn't let go.
from the opening hello with its treated vocoder loop, the subtley titled 'truck on' paying homage to the glories of glam, via super furries sonic madness. i wont go into individual track details as the whole album has to be digested as a whole but for me the highlight (and personal wakeup call !) is 'the average man' with its bob dylan type vocal delivery and lyical bite that makes certain men of a certain age grimace at the accuracy contained within its sheer poptastic excellence.
wonderful instrumentation treats such as a glorious epic guitar solo, lalo schifrin horn blasts and run dmc beatbox rhythms make this a very modern sounding album but with a firm grasp on classic songs that lodge firmly into your psyche.
simple kid, yes. simple pleasure, definitely.