Lazarus Clamp - The More We Are The Funnier It Is

  by Peter Liddle

published: 20 / 1 / 2002

---

Review

Full of pretty arrangements and pleasant guitar sounds, 'The More We are the Funnier It is' starts, seeming like it is going to be an easy-on-the-ear folk record. A few seconds in, however, and other influences pop out of nowhere. Strangely reminiscent of noisy guitar bands like Sonic Youth and Slint, but at the same time also incorporating violins and brushes of drums, Lazarus Clamp confuse and entertain to create what is an exciting package. The songs on this album are well put together . The English voices and the acoustic guitars, however, don't fool anyone. This album is influenced in no small way by Americans, but not in a bad way. The beauty of 'Respite and Stall' recalls Pavement, but is more beautiful. It's acoustic, but the drums don't keep time, and it also throws in the violin. It all fits together extremely well, and song after song, though similar, pulls the same trick on you, making you think of your favourite bands but at the same time sounding nothing like them. Lazarus Clamp have suceeded in blending their styles and coming off with something which reflective but not over introspective and which is always engaging. The soft focused and excellent 'Lacuna"sounds like the sort of record Sonic Youth might have done if someone had stolen all of Thurston Moore's guitar effects. They prove something with this- that they can create something which has punch, edge and a sense of intrigue, but which also manages to be experimental without having to resort to anything more than quiet guitars and some violin. The crazy time signatures and clever repetitions, the building up and slowing down, the sudden moments of funkiness, the arrangements and the melody all make this album appealing. The feeling that it's country or folk never entirely go away, and the album, while a curiosity, deserves a listen. Just in case you need another reason still to hear this, there's a song called 'A Brief History of the Magic Finger in Popular Music'. Go on. You know you want to.

Track Listing:-

1 The More We Are The Funnier It Is
2 Respite and Stall
3 CUTS
4 World Without End. Amen
5 Not So Slow
6 Cornflower
7 Loct n Yr Orbit
8 Smoke
9 Overlooked
10 Lacuna
11 After You
12 Daniel (in The Lions Den)
13 A Brief History Of The Magic Finger In Popular Mus