music of future

Music of the future

About twenty years ago there was a Radio 4 sketch show called Son of

Clich�, scripted by the not-yet-celebrated Rob Grant and Dave Naylor.

Nick Wilton was one of the regulars (what's he doing these days, I

wondered when I remembered this; the answer's "panto, mainly"). The

music was by Peter Brewis, including one of the funniest moments in

musical comedy I've ever heard: the credits sung in the style of Bob

Dylan, to the tune of "Knockin' on Heaven's door", with each verse

ending

"And the music was by - Peter Brewis,

Peter Brewis, Peter Brewis,

Peter Brewis, Peter Brewis..."

Well, I liked it.

There's an interview with Peter Brewis in today's Indie. It's not the

same one - this one's a member of Field Music - but I do wonder if

he's any relation. Now, Field Music, although they're quite young lads

- this Peter Brewis would have been in nappies when the other one was

doing his Dylan impression - make angular, jerkily melodic, thoughtful

music, heavy on the keyboards and woodwinds. They're so 1970s they

ought to be on Caroline, in other words. They're not alone, either.

The Feeling are Pilot on a good day (or Supertramp on a bad one), and

the Klaxons...

The Klaxons are a bit more complicated (not better, but more

complicated). The Klaxons (or is it just Klaxons? I neither know nor

care, actually) are 'new rave', apparently. Judging from the track

"Atlantis to Interzone" (on the B-side of their single "Golden

Skans"), 'new rave' essentially means 'retro'; the track starts with

whooping sirens and (I kid you not) a woman singing the words "Mu mu".

Then the bass kicks in. A couple of minutes later it kicks out again

and the sound gets stroppy and punky, with a kind of 1979 art-school

cockney vibe; my son pricked up his ears at this point and asked if it

was Adam and the Ants. (He's a fan of Adam and the Ants.) "Make it

new" clearly isn't an injunction that's troubled the Klaxons greatly.

"Golden Skans" itself takes me back to a period I'd completely

forgotten: post-glam, pre-punk pop-rock. Think Graham Bonnet-era

Rainbow, but without the metal cliches or the long hair, and with

aspirations to make both three-minute singles and deeply meaningful

albums. Think Argent earlier in the 1970s, or City Boy later on, or

John Miles at a pinch. Punk cut a swathe through prog rock, but the

pop-rock scene it destroyed. But it's back in the hands of [the]

Klaxons. I think they can keep it.

The Earlies, now - there's a fine band. I'm listening to their new

album The Enemy Chorus at the moment, and even though it's only the

first listen I can thoroughly recommend it. Most of the tracks have

that "I'm going to like this later" itch to them, and a couple are

instant synapse-flooding beauties. (Like a good strong cafe con leche,

when it's cold outside. With two sugars. Like that.)

But even their music has its 1970s and late-60s echoes. It's stacked

with them, to be honest - I've been reminded of Soft Machine, Robert

Wyatt, Faust, Neu! and the Beatles, and several times of Family

(someone in that band knows Music in a Doll's House and Family

Entertainment).

I'm not complaining about the Enemy Chorus - it's a wonderful album.

But still... it'd be nice to hear something that would pin my ears

back the way punk did - and, for me personally, the way the Desperate

Bicycles and Scritti Politti did. The Fugees did it; cLOUDDEAD did it

(cLOUDDEAD were very punk). Since then, not so much.

I wonder what they'll find to play at Noughties Nights.