Glyn Bailey and the Many Splendid Things - The Disturbance

  by Andrew Carver

published: 16 / 12 / 2010

Label: Inane Records
Format: CD

intro

Eccentric, but riveting third album from British band Glyn Bailey and the Many Splendid Things

You could be forgiven for thinking from the thumping drum, hushed vocals and chunking chords that open Glyn Bailey and The Many Splendid Things’ ‘The Disturbance’ that you’re about to embark on some metallic outing. It doesn’t last (though it does return on the bridge), for despite some remarkable sizzling leads to Phil Seniors’ guitar work (get this man in a power metal tribute band, fast!), Mr. Bailey is more of a raconteur of strange tales and peculiar characters in the mode of Anton Barbeau, Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Daltrey and most particularly Paul Roland. Next he’s crooning about “a beautiful man” - an actor don’t you know - who turns into the song’s titular ‘Beautiful Corpse’. From there he’s testing his higher register and the extent to which his keyboardist can emulate the sound of Siouxsie Sioux’s 'Hong Kong Garden' in the timeworn lament of a man whose totally blown it on ‘Fuktup’. There’s a certain tongue-in-cheek quality to Bailey’s writing, most evident on ‘God for a Day’, which asks what you’d do, delivered in slightly David Bowie-esque tones and accompanied by some rolly-polly piano. (The answer seems to be “admit nothing.”) The tinkling bells and acoustic guitar of ‘The Bolan Tree’ are apparently meant to invoke the “elfin prince of pop” - that is Marc, circa his more folkie work ... or is it a tribute to the fatal accident? ‘Louis’, pursuer of weirdos, is the protagonist of the song for which he’s named, a slice of fairly uptempo pop rock with a suave, organ driven edge. ‘Traffic Light Man’ is perhaps the most Hitchcockian tune on the album, dwelling as it does on the deeper thoughts of the little chap who tells you when to stop or go. ‘BBC Bunker’ gets a little heavier as the singer inhabits the personality of a survivalist plotting his post-apocalyptic rein of broadcasting. Not easy to do when there’s jaunty piano al over your choruses. By comparison, ‘Cherry Tree’ is a more straight-forward tale of love and love lost, albeit with slightly obsessive overtones, and ‘Waiting Game’ ends something on a distinctly downbeat note. ‘The Disturbance’ is probably an acquired taste, but those who like their British pop musicians wilfully eccentric could find it a winner.

Track Listing:-