Ergo Phizmiz - Things To Do And Make (CD)

Sometimes the people here at Norman Towers just know exactly what will whet my whistle. Apparently this guy has already been awarded the coveted Norman records 'Album of the Week' gong....Mercury Music Prize - pah! This is a very eccentric, very English style of music with heavy nods towards the pastoral English quirky pop of 'Village Green' era Kinks and Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. The vocals are presented in perfectly clipped upper class English tones but the music is ramshackle yet extremely melodic. My favourite is 'Food and War' where a malfunctioning cuckoo clock battles with parping bicycle horns, the same horn passes through 'Hotel' this time accompanied with twanging banjos. The more melancholic numbers recall Robert Wyatt yet Ergo often comes across as a British take on Al Duvall, mining music from the pre rock and roll era but bringing a modern sensibility to it. The best thing is he never forgets to write a tune and despite the clattering toy instruments theres a fantastic melancholy to a lot of the tracks. You can imagine him touring the country armed with a big bass drum, toy accordian, banjo and various horns attached, moustache quivering as he entertains gaggles of onlookers. Really worth a go this one. Highly recommended.