What has the field of lo-fi slacker pop come to when faced by an LP as ambitious and entertaining as Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast? Despite all attempts to sabotage his songwriting and production with innumerable experimental tidbits, songs within a song, and (seemingly) tossed-off arrangements, Damon Gough has to face the fact that he wrote and produced over a dozen excellent songs of baroque folk-pop for his album debut, and the many gems can't help but shine through all the self-indulgence. The sprightly orchestration for cello and trumpet (Gough's own) that begin the album are eventually taken over by the sparse guitar pickings and wistful folky sunshine of "The Shining," which veers into the skewed slide guitar and ominous tone of "Everybody's Stalking." Gough rarely pauses for breath (even when he's doing a allad) or follows any traditional sense of album flow, but after a listen or two, The Hour of Bewilderbeast is revealed as a shambling masterpiece of a pop album. Most of these songs are Gough's entirely (he plays as many as eight instruments), with occasional help from friends like Twisted Nerve co-labelhead Andy Votel and assorted drummers for accompaniment. His songwriting is great, but Gough's twisted sense of humor helps the album shine as well, as on "Fall in a River," where the down-a-lazy-river feel carries through to the point where not just Gough but the entire production is submerged with a splash and attendant warping of the sound. The Hour of Bewilderbeast surely isn't a traditional pop album, but a continually beguiling trip through lo-fi postmodern folk that draws as much from Harry Nilsson as Beck.
So yeah, I have no idea where I first heard this song. I think I just saw this video on tv one day, and got hooked. I remember not being a big fan of the rest of the album though. In any case, I really like this song, and the video is really cute.And I have BDB tickets for tomorrow. Hoorah!
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"Pissing In The Wind"I've been pissing in the windI chanced a foolish grinAnd dribbled on my chinNow the ground shifts beneath my feetThe faces that I greet never know my nameJust give me somethingI'll take nothingJust give me somethingI'll take nothingNow the drought is crippled by the rainThat hammers on my painWe lose ourselves againBut all we need is to find a place to lookOur worm is on it...
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So yeah, I have no idea where I first heard this song. I think I just saw this video on tv one day, and got hooked. I remember not being a big fan of the rest of the album though. In any case, I really like this song, and the video is really cute.And I have BDB tickets for tomorrow. Hoorah!
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I'm waiting for my tickets now. Sometimes I'm the most patient person in the world, but not when I'm waiting for tickets! I'm completely frantic until then. And when I'm hungry. Or tired.Anyway.I've always wanted to see Badly Drawn Boy but he always comes and plays at a 19+ venue. (I'll be 19 in 2 months. Yay.)Has anyone been? Is he good? I've done a youtube search and sounds/looks good to me.
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this week's episode in our sunday night live series features a performance by damon gough, who takes the stage as badly drawn boy , early last year, here at the great american music hall. we've collected and show off below a small handful of songs from the evening, including the finale, introduced as a song gough "grew up listening to," a cover of journey's "don't stop believin'." hope you l...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 The Shining |
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| 2 Everybody's Stalking |
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| 3 Bewilder |
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| 4 Fall in a River |
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| 5 Camping Next to Water |
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| 6 Stone on the Water |
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| 7 Another Pearl |
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| 8 Body Rap |
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| 9 Once Around the Block |
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| 10 This Song |
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| 11 Bewilderbeast |
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| 12 Magic in the Air |
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| 13 Cause a Rockslide |
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| 14 Pissing in the Wind |
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| 15 Blistered Heart |
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| 16 Disillusion |
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| 17 Say It Again |
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| 18 Epitaph |
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Click to purchase…
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 "The Hour of Bewilderbeast")
