Review – Ward “C” Unsubtle
Innuendo
Independent EP
What can be said about Ward “C”? Well, I really am at a loss. Combine Mental as Anything with Lunarsea Boatmen and The Drugs (the band, although you might think the other types as well) and you’d be fairly much on the money as far as their latest independent release Unsubtle Innuendo is concerned. There’s an element of fun in what they’re doing but something’s not quite right. The hand-drawn artwork, the home made CD label and jewel-case inlay aren’t it, either… je ne sais quoi.
This Song Has Only One Note opens the account, but that’s not technically correct. There are chord-changes and progressions and that sort of thing, but monotonically speaking the melody has only got one note, and an electronic harmony. And his dog has only one flea, “her” bra has only one cup, his horse has only got one leg, and the song has only got one tag. Oh, and some randomly placed sound effects…
The Crystal Mat actually comes up a notch, with some 80s kitsch in the instrumentation: Duran Duran vs Depeche Mode and A Flock of Seagulls maybe. It would be the outstander, for mine. Bowling Club Sluts closes the set with a musical attempt at Crackerjack and what sounds like a few drunken white-clad members of the blue rinse set heading in their Morris Majors for a couple of ends at the local bowlo.
I have been listening to this record in the background for the last couple of weeks now and was quite ready to pan it. One Note, unfortunately, allowed for this mood to take over the setting of this review but Crystal and Bowlo changed it, having now listened to them all properly. There seems to be quite a lot of local-radio support as well. Check out more of their songs at http://www.geocities.com/gubers/songs.html or tune into one of the radio stations listed thereon, request one of the tunes and make your own conclusions ««¾