Gwyneth Herbert

“Clangers & Mash”

(Naim Edge)

Singer/songwriter Gwyneth Herbert has developed into one of the UK’s most interesting new talents. Originally groomed as a standards singer Herbert soon broke out of the marketing mens’ straitjacket and started writing her own material; songs that draw on pop and rock (and their various offshoots) as much as jazz, and with the chameleon like David Bowie a major influence.

As a writer Herbert first made her mark with the album “Between Me And The Wardrobe” which was produced by Sebastian Rochford of Polar Bear fame. This acclaimed effort was followed by the magnificent “All The Ghosts” (2009), a brilliant account of 21st century London Bohemia which interspersed “character songs” with more obviously autobiographical material. Literate lyrics combined with gorgeous pop melodies and superior jazz musicianship to produce a highly distinctive album that possessed considerable commercial appeal but without any inherent compromise of Herbert’s artistic muse.

Now comes “Clangers & Mash”, a mini album that revisits some of the “Ghosts” material in a series of remixes (including one by Rochford) as well as introducing Herbert’s new single “Perfect Fit”. Herbert says of the enterprise “I wanted to do something a bit different to mark the release of our new single so I scrabbled around for a few backstage scrapings and asked a handful of my lovely and varied musician friends to present some Herbert tracks as they’d never been heard before. The result is Clangers & Mash; bleepy, tappy, pleasureful ear food to tickle your bellies. Tuck in.”

Something of Herbert’s quirky personality is summed up in that quote and is emphasised further in the song “Perfect Fit” which appears here in three different versions. It’s a happy, sunny tune written in a mere two hours on a summer’s day in London’s Victoria Park. Based around just four chords and played by Herbert on ukulele the original version features hand-claps and overdubbed harmony vocals. The Radio Edit is even perkier and quirkier and includes tinkling percussion and subtle electronica. In this incarnation I can imagine it turning up in a mobile phone ad, at which point, much as I love Gwyneth’s music, even I’d begin to find it irritating. Still it might help her to get the hit single she’s obviously aiming for. 

The third version of “Perfect Fit” is a remix by Mr Solo and The Voluntary Butler Scheme, separate artists with interesting histories.  Based in Brighton Mr Solo is the former front man of the idiosyncratic and theatrical band David Devant and his Spirit Wife whereas the Voluntary Butler Scheme (or VBS) is the pseudonym of one man band Rob Jones from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, once known as ‘The Bass Thing’ from The Wonder Stuff. Armed with this information and listening to this remix it’s almost inevitable that the phrase “pop will eat itself” should suddenly spring to mind. Anyway in the hand of these two the song is transformed again courtesy of electronica, and camp, knowing theatrical male vocals. There’s even a brief spoken word episode that could almost be described as a rap. Herbert says “it’s as if David Bowie has taken all my favourite childhood toys for a sunny picnic in a swimming pool and they’re happily jamming through our single”. Maybe the Pet Shop Boys joined in too. It’s certainly good fun, possesses a certain weird majesty, and sits well with the whimsical mood of much of the rest of the album.

An aside-back in the 1990’s I saw David Devant’s Spirit Wife perform at Colchester Arts Centre. It was a surreal but enjoyable and memorable show, although it has to be said that the band’s unique blend of rock and theatricality didn’t work quite as well on record when the frequently surreal visual element was missing.

The “Ghosts” song “All Worn Out” appears here in two versions. The “In The Bedroom” version is a Herbert solo home recording featuring our heroine on voice and ukelele plus elements of improvised domestic percussion such as radiator and metal bin. The “droid” electronics of the album version are replaced by deliciously woozy stylophone, inspired I suspect not so much by Rolf Harris as by David Bowie’s use of the instrument on the “Space Oddity” album all those years ago.

The second take on “All Worn Out” couldn’t be more different. It’s a remix by Herbert’s long term friend Temper D who adds drum and bass beats to Herbert’s tune. Despite the club feel it’s still recognisable as a song and stays true to the spirit of the original, “my Hackney homeward 2.00 am song” as Herbert puts it. 

Elsewhere Rochford takes “Ghosts” song “My Mini And Me”, originally a PJ Harvey style blues stomp, and strips it back to it’s raw essence with simple acoustic guitar and percussion. Only at the end does Rochford bring in elements of electronica as Herbert wails “take me away” and the song subtly shifts it’s meaning from road trip to escape plea.

On “Ghosts” Herbert’s song “My Narrow Man” managed to be both wordy and erotically charged. The remix version here by the self described “electronic and sampler based artist” Girl After Shower just takes the three words of the title and transforms the song into a piece of chilled out ambience. It’s a total transformation and though pleasant enough it’s rather inconsequential when compared to the original.

“Petite Cacahuete” (or “Little Peanut”) was written for Herbert’s sister Kit. It was originally recorded at the “All The Ghosts” album sessions but failed to make the cut. However it’s whimsicality renders it perfect for this project with its jolly hand-clapping and Herbert singing in French.

To close the album there is a beautiful acapella version of the song “Midnight Oil”, a torch song that originally appeared on the “Between Me And The Wardrobe” album. Herbert sings the song with a profound sense of involvement, the raw emotion totally different to the mood of the rest of this mini album. Herbert can sing across a range of moods, styles and genres and this piece comes as a timely reminder of her versatility. 

“Clangers & Mash” is an enjoyable diversion in the Gwyneth Herbert catalogue but can hardly be considered an essential purchase. In a sense it’s a stop gap recording before the next “real” Gwyneth Herbert album comes along. To be fair Herbert acknowledges this herself and even the cover art reflects “Clangers’” provenance in the “All The Ghosts” album. There are times on “Clangers” when Herbert’s admirable eccentricity strays a little too close to fey cutesiness for my liking and some listeners may find it all a little bit too twee. Perhaps it’s best to treat this mini album in the spirit in which it was conceived-as a bit of fun. And who knows, it might just spawn a hit single in the process.

blog comments powered by Disqus