While I’d baulk at referring to Birkenhead’s finest HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT as an ‘institution’, there’s something wonderfully comforting about knowing that their new album will surely be coming around every three years or so. God knows, in this world of debt crises and local apocalypses, we seem to need Nigel Blackwell and the boys more than ever.
Their reliably brilliant new album ’90 Bisodol (Crimond)’ is typically long on the daffy wisdom and commendably off-kilter observations that typifies their best work. Subjects range from boils on cab drivers necks to korfballing championships (!) in Holland, while Blackwell’s surrealistic wit remains as razor sharp as ever.
Kicking off with the adrenalized ‘Something’s Rotten at the Back of Iceland’, the highlights come thick and fast. ‘...Iceland’ and the equally pacy ‘Left Lyrics in the Practice Room’ already sound like future live favourites, ‘Fun Day in the Park’ and the sad’ n’ tender ‘Coroner’s Footnote’ cater for the gentler, semi-acoustic strolls and the lengthy hardware’ n’ swarfega’ n’ rock’n’roll rant of ‘Descent of the Striperstones’ is arguably the album’s resident epic.
As with all great HMHB albums, your favourites will probably choose themselves. Personally, I’m delighted Nigel has chosen to lay into the arrogant way people walk on pavements these days (‘L’Enfer C’est Les Autres’), though ‘Fix It So She Dreams of Me’ (“they should just brick Jim Beglin up with the Gok Wan acolytes”) and the hilariously dark subterranean graveyard blues of ‘Excavating Rita’ (“gimme the moonlight...gimme a spade”) both contain pearls of wisdom that will have the discerning howling with delight until...well, the next HMHB album turns up.
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Sure, it all breaks little new ground sonically, but so what? In the pantheon of Half Man Half Biscuit albums, there are only very good and truly great albums and - like 2005’s ‘Achtung Bono’ – ’90 Bisodol’ is very much in the latter category. Until 2014 rolls around, it’s just the ticket.
Probe Plus Records online
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