Meat Raffle are one of the bands to come out of the scene based around the Windmill in Brixton, this is the South london bands third album that was recorded during lockdown by Zsa Zsa Sapien, Tingle Lungfish, Cloudy Truffles, Chris OC, Dan'duja, Baby Jayzus none of whom are using street names. They have made a classic Blang album, so it's a good job that's the label they are signed too.
The album opens with Lovesong Industrial Complex that re-structures PIL's Love song, with deadpan delivered vocals asking why all the songs on the radio are love songs, be it love gone right or love gone wrong, over a sparse club beats and bassline that should be just about seductive enough for you to fall into someone's arms to this before the trumpets arrive.
Posh People In Pop takes aim at all sorts of upper class pop stars like Bryan Ferry, how they have very little to say having led cossetted lives, who only ever sing love songs, as they have not struggled aside from a heroin habit, although they miss the singing oxford lecturer out of this list, of ignominious posh people, that seems to have got the squirrel outside my window squealing along with it.
Secret Fizzy Wine Drinker updates the classic R Whites ad tune for a more mature middle of the night sipper, who wanders about in the middle of the night before downing some fizzy wine to help ease away the pain, with a gauzy club feel that with the right promotion could have Clapham wine bars singing along to it in no time.
Mannaggia La Miseria has Zsa Zsa signing about the ridiculous notion that the trickle down effect might alleviate poverty rather than making the rich super rich instead, of course no one can deny that the world is in a mess, not even an imperious trumpet solo can save it.
Street Names introduces the whole Meat Raffle crew to us, as anyone whose down with the sickness must have one, you can call me Jesus or Charles 1st if you prefer my street names.
New Maps Of Hell could easily be a comment on the ridiculous re-wiring of the streets during and since covid, with low traffic zones or roads you can no longer use at certain times of the day, we need more than new maps, lets not get started on new math, before it goes all fairground music madness towards the end.
Robots are coming to take over your band, take your job as all the bots infiltrate your social media, they insinuate themselves seamlessly into your life, so they are better friends than your actual friends, but go on prove to me your real.
Bully Boss is a funky xmas party floor filler, as everyone gathers around the boss and you all point your fingers at him every time they sing the title, as the numerous crimes and misdemeanors are listed, they quit taking a walk, it ain't worth all the bullying crap and the constant re-telling of your glorious rise to the top of the stinking pile.
Power Shower is the second song I've heard recently that mentions Peter Tosh's Downpressor man, this lot are singing it in the shower imagining the showerhead is an SM58, this is knowing with a nod and a wink or two in praise of the Power Shower, while they threaten to go all Jennifer Rush.
Lambeth Walk is led by the lone trumpeter taking a stroll down that South London Street and surrounding areas, I was waiting for them to find the allotments on this lovely stroll, before the violins come in, they mourn the loss of freedom during the lock downs, all of us marching toward our doom, almost a perfect song for our times.
Street Names Part 2 has someone nicking my dad's street name only he isn't Phil The Pill here, some cool names for all those folks whose Names you never knew, as I found out recently at Greensies funeral, I didn't even know he was Australian let alone his real name, we got street names.
Smallest Gang takes the sound of gunfire in the streets, as they go out shoplifting on a Saturday afternoon, getting up to nonsense in the name of surviving in straightened circumstances, they want you to join their club by loving them, well this album is quite loveable so start there, before you run out without paying once more.
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