Darren Hayman - I Taught You How To Dance EP

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2...according to our Clinton on Fri 04 Nov, 2011.

Its a bleak, miserable November morning I'm resting a hell of a lot on Darrens version of Roxy Music's 'Dance Away' being able to cheer me up. Its an understatement to say that its having the opposite effect - not only is this is a low point in the history of recorded music but I'm increasingly tempted to reach for the cardboard cutting knife and in Darren's absence do myself some maiming. Still, if Bryan Ferry gets a new suit out of it then it will all have been worthwhile. Actually scrub that bit about the low point of recorded music being reached - the nadir actually happens on the flip when Darren 'tackles' Eddy Grants 'I Don't Want to Dance' in the manner of a suicidal cabaret turn. Darren has a way with a cover - he doesn't re-interprete it as such he just slows it down by a few notches so you get a queasy seasick feeling. I used to love The Kinks late period knockabout 'Come Dancing'. Not now- its ruined. The only track that is even vaguely listenable is the main track 'I Taught You How to Dance' and that's probably only because its an original and theres no yardstick for it to be put up against. A horrifying calamity of a record.

Limited Edition Vinyl 10” EP (500 copies) with free MP3 download. Best known as the singer-songwriter of the phenomenally successful and much-loved Hefner, Darren Hayman is now six albums into an increasingly idiosyncratic and remarkably productive solo career. Following massive critical acclaim for last year’s Essex Arms album Hayman followed up with his January Songs project, writing a song a day for the entire month. There’s been no let up since either with Hayman just releasing a brand new solo album of subtle, drifting piano ballads called The Ship’s Piano, written following a fractured skull left him wanting to make quieter, more peaceful music. The album has already received rave reviews from the BBC “uniquely intimate and very satisfying” to Q “It's galling that Hayman can churn out such high quality so often” and Mojo “Hayman has hit a creative purple patch… a treat”. 'I Taught You How To Dance' is the stand out track from The Ship’s Piano, a beautiful, sweet and non-ironic love song. Darren describes it as his cruise ship song, a song suitable for weddings and 1980s teenage discos, like 'Red, Red Wine.' Expertly embellished by Steve Pretty’s mournful trumpet, the song sounds even better when played with a glitter ball in the room. The ten inch EP also contains covers of 'Come Dancing' by the Kinks, 'I Don't Wanna Dance' by Eddy Grant and 'Dance Away' by Roxy Music. Asked why he chose these particular songs Darren replied, “These are the tunes that would drift over my school playground from the 6th formers' social club. It's hard to imagine how cool and exotic these songs sounded to me as a 13 year old. 'Come Dancing' in particular is a much sadder intelligent song than it appears on first inspection. The truth is that songs that are good to dance to, don't have the word 'dance' in the title. Songs that have the word 'dance' in the title are usually heartbreakers.” Listen out for Nik Vestberg of Moustache Of Insanity playing Gameboy on Come Dancing!

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