Ever since The Divine Comedy stopped bothering the charts
we've been utterly bereft of tea-drinking English gentlefolk making
slightly eccentric but very tuneful pop singles. Well, bowler hat
wearing Mancunian Jim Noir may just be the chap to fill that void. Key
Of C is a pretty little ditty which trips along while Jim sings an ode
to his favourite key - in his favourite key of course (C being the only
key in music not to use any black notes on the piano, so 'it's easier
to play it' of course).
It's a shame that the single is blighted slightly by the 'B sides'
(i.e. the other tracks on the CD). Hotsy Wa Wa Blues is a silly
blues variation of J'ai Dormi Sous L'eau - a track off Air's
Premier Symptoms (strange but true) - but with some Peter
Frampton-esque talkbox guitar and drum'n' bass beat. Very droll, but
once the novelty wears off there's little to appreciate. The other track
is a rather pointless six minute remix of the title song.
While not among the best stuff to come from Noir's debut album Tower
Of Love, this inaugural single is a taster of his wonky,
trippy-in-a-kids-tv-programme-way world. So raise your teacups now for
the next generation of English eccentro-pop - and make sure your little
finger is firmly extended.
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