I am sure that in the
real world Andrew McLatchie is nice to his mum, helps old ladies
across the road and carefully takes stones out of horses' hooves but
when he picks up his guitar and stomp board he quickly reverts to
that character Half Deaf Clatch who often feels obliged to tell us
that life is hard, you should drink wine, prepare for the worse -but
not worry too much.
'Simple Songs for These Complicated Times' is a very clever and sometimes amusing look at
that light at the end of the tunnel - which may well be the Doom
Train coming down the line and heading straight for us. This totally
authentic bluesman seems to have taken over the role of a dark
gatekeeper to a world of original back-to-basic blues where, hanging
around The Crossroads and with his eloquent lyrics, guitar and banjo
playing, he reminds us that rose-tinted glasses and keeping our
fingers crossed are not going to help us. If we need to save
ourselves we'd better shape up, listen to what he has to say, chill
out and wait for The End – er - or not...perhaps...maybe...
Some might see this as
a brave venture in that, nowadays, not many musicians would want to
put together a 'concept' album – let alone two, back to back.
Following fast on the heels of his superb and original 'A.J.Rail'
themed album, which was rightly hailed as one of the best original
blues releases of the year, 'Simple Songs' picks up the End is Nigh
banner and tackles that familiar territory head on, with a collection
of ten tracks ranging from the wistful and hopeful to the 'we are all
stuffed anyway'.
Easing us in gently
with 'Hush Blues' and 'Blinkered Blues', we are advised not to worry,
relax a little, and anyway, the doom-laden shouty soap-box preacher, we all
see on the street corner, may just be a self-righteous
holier-than-thou idiot. There is an underlying humour present in many
of these tracks and even though Clatch writes about the loss of hope
and the slim possibilities of redemption – where he clearly has his
scatter gun lined up on the contemporary failings of our world in
general – there is always a reassuring nudge in the right
direction. Both 'Lost Blues' and 'River Blues' seem to have him
talking either to himself or to some 'higher' source who could sort
out the bad stuff. Even when he describes, acutely perceptively, all
of us being caught in the powerful 'Undertow' rip tide (fill in your
own narrative here – modern slavery, poverty, child exploitation,
corrupt politicians, religious war) he leaves us with just a chance
that if you're strong enough you won't sink. Indeed in the aptly
titled 'Exodus Blues', one of the best and catchiest tracks on here,
he offers his Master Plan for when the chips are down...break the
chains, start a new life, get on your bike and run away.
The central track
'Apocalypse Blues' is a clever pragmatic piece, running a beady eye
over the state of the world, our troubled times and the ridiculous
idea that a super-hero may save us. But..suddenly he throws down his
doom banner and asks us to hold on and join him on the sofa with a
bottle of wine anyway. No crossroads narrative would be complete
without reference to the Doomsday Clock measuring how long we may
have left. The final track, 'Countdown Blues' tick-tocks the album to
a sombre close with his parting reminder that we may not see the
morning unless we change our ways...
Apart from the usual
high standard of his playing, this is a fine album full of
carefully constructed lyrics and the fascinating narrative, wryly
tackling a tricky topic, is what makes it work. It makes you listen to
what he has to say and it is as if you have Clatch in the corner of
your room telling you how it is – but, rather like his previous
lead character A J Rail – you can believe him or not. Pull up a
sofa, pass the wine, tomorrow may never come.
Head over to his website for more info: www.halfdeafclatch.com
