Sure, Dizzee Rascal does the Electric Proms to impress the middle classes and Mala is busy mixing whatever he can into his DJ sets, but have the two, distinctly opposite, genres ever been fused with such knowledge and passion as on the latest release from the Southend’s These New Puritans? Eagle eyed readers will keen to notice that the other great ‘comeback with a change in direction’ story, The Horrors, also originate from perhaps Essex most notorious sea resort. However, unlike Primary Colours‘ pseudo-progressions, Hidden sounds like a step boldly into the future ‘“ not just for the band themselves but for the world at large.
But, before any in depth discussion may occur, there’s something of an elephant in the room. Like Mark E Smith and Dave Longstreth before him, lead crooner Jack Harnett’s heroically untrained singing is somewhat of a ‘marmite’ attribute. Whilst the haters will vehemently put down his vocals ‘“ subjectively, it’s not too good ‘“ it fits well with the mass art/high art aesthetic that winds itself throughout the album, much like Lou Reed’s pessimistic bellowing on The Velvet Underground’s seminal debut.
And perhaps the combination of high art and ‘low’ art is the key to understanding ‘Hidden‘. The whole record sees the two melting together ‘“ apart from opener Time Xone, an instrumental for woodwind which evokes Lowestoft born composer Benjamin Britten’s epic ‘Peter Grimes‘ in its subtle melancholy. Though this introduction is reasonably sedative and underplayed, second track and lead single We Want War is decidedly not. With trumpet fanfares and a percussion section that aims for the sky ‘“ and very nearly reaches it ‘“ this is a declaration of downright evil, and seven minutes of it. Brass and children’s choirs soar above like doves, liberating the ‘Puritans of the restraints of their previous four piece and bringing them ever close to shaking of references to the bloody FALL group. Did you ever see Brix Smith playing a bloody harpsichord?
Fortunately, Harnett has not limited his compositions to orchestral/beat fusions and plenty of other influences crop up. Hologram sounds like a stadium rock take on lounge jazz and is one of the records finest moments, and Attack Music sees them harking back to the art rock roots of the debut, all awkward guitar lines ‘“ though even this is infused with gunshot samples and choral arrangements. Drum Courts / Where Corals Lie ‘“ whilst referencing it in the name ‘“ takes a whole composition by British poet Richard Garnett and composer Sir Edward Elgar and sees it given the These New Puritans treatment, all whilst coming across as a little too smug. However, these moments are few and far between. Next track White Cords is positively unsettling and summons more paranoia than your average Hyperdub release.
And this is the bands’ greatest asset ‘“ their ability to do what a lot of other groups wish they could do. Though they occasionally fly too close to the sun, These New Puritans should be awarded ‘“ not only for creating a bold and delicious masterpiece, but for creating one which manages to practically rip the box they should be thinking in.
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