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As the driving force behind cult Welsh outfit Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Euros Childs has been involved in some of the most underrated
music of the last ten years. Now, Pembrokeshire's finest export has taken a
break from Gorky's to release his first solo effort, and I can tell you it's
not bad either.
Having been in Gorky's since he was 15, perhaps the time was right for
Childs to do his own thing. One thing for sure is that he has produced a
collection of songs which wouldn't have lowered the bar on any of his band's
releases, covering styles as varied as country and the psychedelic folk
you might expect.
Chops is only 33 minutes long, but as history has proved it is
quality not quantity that really matters. Put together in a room in his
parents' house over a three-month period, most of the songs on the album are
short and sweet.
Take opening track, Billy The Seagull - a Beta Band style little
ditty with no instrumentation - which finds Childs sounding as though he has
just woken up. The reason is that he had: after writing the song in a dream
he picked up the dictaphone next to his bed and drowsily recorded it at 3am.
Well, otherwise he might have forgotten all about it in the morning.
From that sleepy mode the mood is a lot chirpier on the bouncy Donkey Island, featuring ex-Gorky John Lawrence on pedal steel. An upbeat
electronic number, the opening to what was the first single release sounds
like something you might imagine those purple-suited lounge-lizards before
the programmes on E4 would play. A world away from the folksy psychedelia of
Gorky's, but a lot of fun.
There is a sense of humour throughout the album. Lyrics like;
"Donkeys are like you and me" underpin this, on a song inspired by a version
of the Can-Can performed by 70s Krautrock icons Can. As that would
have been, it really isn't meant to be taken seriously, and this is a
laid-back feeling that permeates the whole release.
There are three Welsh language tracks on Chops, and I don't know about you
but I think there's something fascinating about the Welsh tongue. Just
listen to Dawnsio Dros Y Mor (which translated means Dancing Across The Sea,
by the way). It sounds like such a spectacularly complicated language that it is
mesmerising and you find yourself humming along just as if it was in
English.
Hi Mewn Socasau, meanwhile (that's Her In Leggings for those not fluent
in Welsh) sounds like John Lennon of the Valleys. The Poodle Rockin' of
the album, this piano rocker tells the story of a guy in 19th century Wales
getting it on with a lady blacksmith... as you do.
The humour continues with Latin-tinged ballad Costa Rica. Complete with shakers, for that samba
authenticity, Childs tells the tale of a feller working on his brother's
ice-cream stall who becomes romantically involved with a peanut vendor. Just
like with blacksmiths, I'm sure it happens all the time.
Despite the bizarre and admittedly amusing themes, the endearing quality
of the music is not lost. Even the three-part folksy Stella Is A Pigmy, all
three parts being under a minute in length, are in no way simply album
fillers.
Perhaps the most Gorky's sounding song on this fantastic solo debut by
Childs is Circus Time. Wistful piano-melancholia, it is heartbreakingly
beautiful. When Euros' sister Megan enters on violin it's enough to bring
you to tears.
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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees
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