The Unheard Music (Volume XXXIII)

Not that I've ever claimed to, but I don't always know all there is to know about an artist I feature here. Sometimes, I know very little.  This week, I know very little about the artist featured but that shouldn't diminish the impact of their music. 

We were walking the dog(s) tonight (we're dog watching the Pug of our friends Marc and Kristin who are in London for the week) and we got mired in a discussion about depth in music. Carla was making an impassioned case for an artist (who shall remain nameless) whose prowess on guitar is evident but whose lyrical abilities are, shall we say, limited.  She countered with the question, "What about Van Halen? You love Van Halen but they never wrote anything profound."  Touche.  But Van Halen (specifically Eddie) wrote some of the most amazing riffs in the history of Rock-n-Roll.  And they were fun as hell.  I mean, listen to the opening riff of "Unchained" and tell me you aren't just a little scared at its' power.  The lyrics go nowhere but it doesn't undercut the enormity of the song.  Man, I'm setting up this week's artist up for a fall, making a Van Halen reference.

I first learned about The Bevis Frond from a college friend, who was a big fan  (and sometime reader of this site) and put a song of theirs on a mixtape for me circa 1992.  I don't know much more now other than to note that The Bevis Frond is pretty much one guy--Nick Saloman--from Walthamstow. Nick also had a knack for riffage, evidenced by this absolute gem "Ear Song" from the 1990 record Any Gas Faster.  Nick also had a sensitive side and rounded out Any Gas Faster with some more contemplative material like "This Corner of England" and a song that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Screaming Trees record: "These Dark Days".

So, please fill me in on anything you might know about The Bevis Frond beyond their Wikipedia entry. And of course let me know what you think of the songs featured here.  Enjoy the music, have a great weekend.

Comments

[Jeff]

Having lived too close to Walthamstow for comfort, 'Ear Song' made me cringe in memory of the crappy pub rock I used to suffer there. One reason I liked the Darkness is that I thought their satirical approach would kill off the genre for good!

That said, "This Corner of England" is excellent - as good of a UK homage as Mozza or Billy Bragg ever wrote.

And, unfortunately "Dark Days" is in clear violation of the 'no sitar unless you're Indian restaurant music' rule.

[Scotty]

I liked This Corner of England better than the other two. Ear Song might be better if the production level was of a higher quality and if someone else sang it. His voice gets better with time.

[jean b]

I loved Any Gas Faster, discovered upon recommendation from Doug Roberson during my Iowa City record store days. Like you, Ken, I know very little about The Frond - they're one of those faceless mystery bands. I do know that Saloman has worked recently with Mary Lou Lord (who I adore) and her "hit" song "Lights are Changing" was written by him. (as an aside, I could never understand why Juliana Hatfield was put up on a high pedestal in the indie rock world and Mary Lou Lord was kind of, well, not... but I digress.) Anyway, props on the selection of Bevis Frond. I'm cracking out the album this weekend for sure.

[mattbarr]

Bleh - Sorry, Ken, I didn't care for any of these this time.

[ken]

Jeff- I'm kinda surprised you liked any of it. What would Walthamstow compare to here in the Chicago area?

Jean- You were the person who introduced me to them. I knew Robe and Sangster liked 'em but you introduced me to 'Ear Song".

[jeff]

Berywn?

[jeff]

Berywn?