The Duckworth Lewis Method
[This week's Sunday Supplement has been very kindly written by perhaps my oldest (and oldest) reader, Campfires & Battlefields. C&B has emailed me more good music suggestions than pretty much anyone, being the first to alert me to Samamidon, O'Death, Fleet Foxes (okay, we'll forgive him that one) The Felice Brothers and quite a few more, so hopefully we can persuade him to do a monthly column - sort of a Letter From America sort of thing. Thanks C&B.]
I am enjoying this record way more than I should. What we have here is a “concept” album about cricket, written and performed by Neil Hannon (from The Divine Comedy) and Thomas Walsh (from Pugwash). What the fuck? I know nothing about cricket. Nothing. I also know nothing about either the Divine Comedy or Pugwash. I think I might’ve heard one Divine Comedy song in my life, and I’m pretty certain I’ve never heard anything by Pugwash. Yet I cannot stop listening.
I first heard the Duckworth Lewis Method about three weeks ago, when DaveyH from The Ghost of Electricity posted a song. Since then it’s become a strange obsession. I’ve been thinking about why I like it so much, and the obvious answer is the melodies. I can’t remember hearing a better set of tunes in ages. It’s got touches of XTC, the Kinks, and even Robert Wyatt in his more tuneful moments. That counts for a lot. Every song swings. But there’s something else at work that really sets this record apart for me. A sweetness. It’s by turns wistful (Mason On The Boundary, The Nightwatchman), comical (Jiggery Pokery, Meeting Mr. Miandad), nostalgic (Gentlemen and Players, Flatten the Hay, Rain Stops Play), and ironic (The Age of Revolution, Test Match Special), but never cynical or sarcastic. The songs glow with a real fondness for the sport and an affection for its personalities and archetypes. It’s a shameless authenticity that I find poignant, even if I have no idea what they’re on about half the time. Sheer aural prozac.
Adding to the appeal of this record is its ephemeral quality. The band broke up a few weeks ago, just as I was discovering them, so there’ll be no more Duckworth Lewis Method. No gigs. Just 12 perfect pop songs. This is one of my favorites of the year.
The Duckworth Lewis Method – Mason On The Boundary
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The Duckworth Lewis Method – Meeting Mr. Miandad
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I see that DLM got the Waiting Room seal of approval too, back in late August. So it’s not just me and Davey.
I was about to say as much, except it was July
I think, though, to give them their due, I believe this was meant as nothing more than a one-off side project tie in with the England/Australia Ashes test this year.
See, that’s what I mean about knowing nothing about cricket. You say “England/Australia Ashes test” and I hear that muted trumpet sound that Charlie Brown heard whenever an adult was speaking. But yes, I also get the sense that this was never intended to be anything more than a one-off.
I wasn’t ever going to explain what “England/Australia Ashes test” meant old boy — I just wanted the poetry of the words to fill you with simultaneous fear & nostalgia by proxy. A bit like the album, really.
By the by, I’m in D.C. proper from 2nd – 7th October (celebrating my Birthday at some point), minus Derek but with the tower of confusion & disregard Ed. Are you available for a jaunt to the Govt. quarter, per chance?
Oh brilliant. That’d be grand. And as fortune would have it, the Rural Alberta Advantage and the Lovely Feathers are playing at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC on Sunday, October 4, while the Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks are at the Black Cat on Monday, October 5. Just so’s you know is all.
Sexellent.
I have to confess I paid almost no attention to this album when it first came out, just because the last few Divine Comedy albums were so disappointing, but you win, I’ve downloaded it now and will give it some proper attention.
I wish I’d included a hyperlink thingy to the Ghost of Electricity. DaveyH has exposed me to tons of great stuff over the years.
Sorted!
Likewise, Matthew. I loved DivCom [journo shorthand] for a long time but didn’t exactly jump at this one when I heard about it. I am off to investigate now, however. Thanks to C&B for the push.
Well I’m glad you posted it here c&b! I’ve had it in rotation since whever DC claims to have discovered it and every single fucking time it comes up on the iPhone I have to pick the damn thing up and see who that great track is by! You’d think by now I’d have figured out what they sound like, wouldn’t you?
I love and yet I can’t seem to listen to it all the way thru. It’s wonderful on a playlist tho. And yeah I have no fucking clue what any of it is about. xoxo