IC B. (icberry)
Reviewed on 12/16/2016...
The musican here is English singer/songwriter Kennedy Greenrod, aka the Thin Man. This is a warm, earthy record, with witty, surprising lyrics set against a kind of rowdy, raunchy, crunchy carny-sideshow sound that made me think of No Smoking Orchestra. The singer's vocal style is perfect for the clever lyrics: he offers them up in a dry, almost laconic delivery that has some of the stretchy twang of Mick Jagger, but is delivered about an octave lower. I have to like the real-instruments lineup backing him up, too. Again, this is more like an Eastern European bar band with some punk rowdyness, featuring woozy horns, a banjo, a concertina, and maybe even a cello in there to class things up a bit.
I read a review that offered a few references to get you in the right wheelhouse for this record. The review mentions "Transylvanian tin pan alley" (check) and "Rain Dogs era Tom Waits"(yep) and says this: "[H.M.S. Mondegreen] glows with the warmth of near-drunk musicians gathered around a gypsy campfire, and the fact that it feels as accessible to the weary traveler as it does a twelve-toed carny makes it that much more unique." Yes and yes. Enjoyable, smart, upbeat and highly unusual.
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