Coming in at just over a lightweight thirty minutes, I was interested to hear what a solo album by Electric Six’s frontman would sound like as a big fan of the under-rated rock band. Don’t let the inclusion of the word acoustic put you off the record as, though it as naturally much more stripped back than, for instance, the last E6 record ‘Heartbeats and Brainwaves’, there is still much more to the record than a man and a guitar.
Album opener ‘Counterattacks’ kicks off with a Wonderwall-esque guitar before Valentine’s familiar vocals oohs and eccentric lyrics kick in, and he’s supported not only by his guitar but a rather melancholy violin. After a minute of lyrics the two-minute long song then bursts into a down-beat violin and drum-led instrumental started off with a roll of drum thunder and more anguished aaahs before fading back away.
It’s followed by ‘Maria Sangrienta’, mostly sung in Spanish, and if you can get the image of Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story 3 out of your mind while he sings it, you’ll find it to be quite a touching ballad with more violin work, though I have no idea what he’s actually singing about. Capturing the Spanish feel in the music as well as the lyrics, it’s something very different and refreshing.
Though the title of track three does sound like a parody of an Electric Six track, it’s in fact one of the best songs on the album with a fast-paced verse and a short, but catchy chorus, thanks to the metronome effect. ‘One Policeman Leads To Another’, with regular fade outs and repeated resurgences of music works really well and even when the closing repeating of the title starts to border on irritation the production steps up a gear and cranks out a great sounding choral effect that will stick firmly in your head.
‘I Am Repulsed By My Daughter’s Lover’ is just another wacky title that looks weird on paper but in the context of the song works. Very much a story song, it does at time perhaps sound a little off compared to the music but it’s a fun song to hear and the witty lyrics and imaginative rhyming keep the song afloat.
Onto ‘Mr Shadow’ and it sounds very much like a classic old Electric Six song, from when they were the Wildbunch, with a familiar-sounding but interesting acoustic guitar riff. A little like ‘Smoke on the Water’ mixed with their old hit ‘She’s Guatemala’ and more recent song ‘Night Vision’, it’s another story-led song that doesn’t outstay its welcome but sounds great and even throws in a Groundhog Day reference. It’s followed by the skit ‘Driving Into Certain Death’, a fast-paced fun little snippet of a song with quite a layered guitar riff for its short running time.
Title track ‘Destroy the Children’ is a definite highlight of the album with not only an eclectic mix of guitar and violin and intriguing lyrics but a catchy chorus that concludes with a string outro, and some well observed and sharp lyrics and reasons to ‘Destroy the Children’ including “before they replace the singer-songwriters with autotuned dancers” and “Imprison Lindsey Lohan before she becomes a mother… polluting all our souls with Hollywood dysentery”.
Entering the second half of the album in both track number and length, ‘The Termite Queen sees Valentine in falsetto mode and is a much more low-key number. Not the most interesting song on the album lyrically or musically, it’s still worth a listen and the mix of instrumentation works well. Follow up ‘The Earth Side of the Moon’ is my least favourite song on the album and doesn’t really go anywhere, but there are some bits to enjoy in the chorus.
‘The Wild Rose of Boise’ includes some more wacky lyrics and is an enjoyable three minutes with its folk song feel. Thankfully after this the good, but nothing special, three songs are replaced with three far stronger numbers. ‘Emergency Funding For The Arts’ is a speedy lyrically-fun ‘Dance Commander’-esque number with a short, but catchy deep chorus, over an enjoyable guitar line. Then, the track flips to become the most unusual on the album with a synth line poking fun at modern music before switching back to the more acoustic stylings of the album but with a well-layered closing.
‘Fresh Faces’ is more of the same style wise but with some catchy ‘woo’s here and there in the chorus, lyrics continuing the art theme set by track eleven, and a general uptempo feel. But its penultimate tune ‘I Don’t Speak French’ that is the true highlight of the album. Performed live on the circuit for at least six years, this is Valentine at his very best both in singing in guitar play, with lyrics that both manage to tell a story, sound great and make you smile. Plus, we finally get the harmonica put into the song. A well written, great-sounding hit with some truly funny lines (ending on a cracker!) and plenty of hooks and hopefully at some point deserving a fully produced version.
‘Destroy the Children’ comes to a close with short song ‘Meet Mr. Monkey’, no relation though to the similarly titled and themed Robbie Williams track. With a country-twang feeling to it, it thematically sums up the album and though it isn’t the strongest title, it’s a pleasant enough end.
Any fans of Electric Six will find much to enjoy here with Valentine’s fun lyrics and ear for catchy hooks as present as ever. Clearly acoustic in style, but with plenty of interesting production to compliment it, ‘Destroy The Children’ is well worth a punt. Though it’s relatively short running time might seem a negative, with most tracks failing to break the three minute barrier there is always something new coming along if there’s something you don’t enjoy.
It’s not particular serious, it’s perhaps not as bombastic or as imaginative as the band’s full albums, but it’s certainly a fun and involving thirty-three minutes and successfully balances enjoyable music with witty lyrics and strong compositions. (7.5/10)
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