Album Reviews New Music: johnny flynn johnny flynn and the sussex wit
by Matthew
10 comments
Toad 2.0
Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit – A Larum
I have tagged this as ‘new music’ although if you’re a reader of this site then it probably doesn’t really count as new. Once again I find myself in complete sympathy with one of Tim’s reviews at the Daily Growl: I’ve heard too much of this before. This is just a tactical issue, not a criticism of the music: due to various singles and so on, I have actually heard an awful lot of the songs on this album already, which takes away some of the delicious thrill of listening to a new album for the first time.
This is one of the things that winds me up when Proper Media planks whine about the rise and fall of hype in the digital age, particularly when they are bleating about the fickle gaze of the blog world and how quickly it moves on from a once-favoured son. Bollocks. This is under no circumstances limited to the digital age. People used to do it all the time before the internet came along and ruined everything, only they’d do it with vinyl singles instead – the over-exposure of this album on singles and, more tellingly, b-sides is a classic example. Don’t give it all away too easily, folks, we need some surprises. Remeber Gene? No, me neither – some people just don’t have that many good songs, so don’t blame the hype.
None of this applies to Johnny Flynn of course, who has plenty of good songs. The first half of the album will already be almost completely familiar, and the second largely new. It continues his penchant for literate storytelling and warm, English folk music with a jaunty bent and cheerful rhythm.
Brown Trout Blues is still one of my favourite songs for years, not matter how often I’ve heard it, and all in all this is just a terrific album. I’ve not much to say about it really: it’s old-fashioned sounding, quite smoothly produced, and feels like the perfect album to play on a cheerful, sunny Saturday morning while you potter about the house and water the plants. Or something else equally rock ‘n’ roll.
Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit – The Wrote & the Writ
Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit – Brown Trout Blues
Website | More mp3s | Buy from Amazon
weekend. an eekend is of course a scary weekend, and not relevent.
I’ve heard you talk about this lot and I’ve listened to the tunes you’ve put on podcasts, but I’ve never listened properly until now, so I suppose I’ll get to enjoy that “delicious thrill” you speak of. Brown Trout Blues is something else. Love those forlorn horns. Forlhorns? No link for where to buy? Fine. Be that way. I’ll find it myself then.
Arse – I’ve fixed that now, sorry. There’s a demo of Brown Trout Blues floating about somewhere that is even lovelier, but this version is pretty damn good too.
You’re right about the arrangements, Rob. He sounds so absolutely, traditonally English without ever quite managing a recognisable folk song, as such. It’s that modern/tradtional game that I think I find so appealing.
Yep, great album. I think Universal should use this:
“feels like the perfect album to play on a cheerful, sunny Saturday morning while you potter about the house and water the plants”
In their press blurbs. Ace.
Maybe should involve more coke 7 whores if they’re trying to be rock n roll though.
7 whores? I guess that’s better than 6.
Fucking shift key.
Still vastly inferior to the joys of Islam of course, although I’d pit the sexual performance of seven well-tested and highly skilled hookers against the beginner’s fumblings of 72 virgins any day.
Friggin Great Album (A Larum) but i need more. Dont get me wrong i got a great fix, but now im hooked, i’ve only had the album for a week and a half and already listened to it at least 30 time
s
this is my favourite album i’ve heard in a long long time
there’sa real depth and invention to the songs and the orchestrations, and wit (! sorry) to the lyrics.
well done on the eekend by the way.