JAMES MCARTHUR AND THE HEAD GARDENERS – Strange Readings From The Weather Station (Moorland MLAND002)

SRFTWSIn an on-line thread that I followed a musician stated that he didn’t like critics who used the word “interesting” to describe music. I was as guilty as anybody – I used the word as a shorthand for “I like this record but I don’t fully understand it” – and resolved never to use it again. Despite that, Strange Readings From The Weather Station is really interesting.

The album, his second, follows James’ EP, Lawn Order, the title track of which is the second song here. The opener, ‘Maelstrom’, led me to expect a rather off-the-wall instrumental set but the vocal arrived and put paid to that theory. Later, it began to remind of Kenny Young’s magnum opus, Last Stage For Silverworld, for the way it layers orchestral arrangements over the basic musical vocabulary of rock and folk and the fact that the meaning of the songs isn’t always clear. ‘Leaf Shot’ and ‘Half Cut’ are still puzzling me.

My favourite track is James’ current single, ‘The Day It Rained Forever’, which completely reverses the imagery of Ray Bradbury’s short story. Then there is ‘Tread Lightly My Dear’ which embodies the Englishness of sixties singer-songwriters – James is Welsh so I apologise now for the slight. So, I do like this album and it remains interesting.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: http://jamesmcarthurmusic.co.uk/#landing-home

‘Lawn Order’ – the official video: