Started his early career on Hogans Heros
Started his early career on Hogans Heros
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
I got it now and very glad i did. It doesn't figure as prog to me, but who cares - though Wyatt is a good point of reference, as in a different way is Richard Thompson. These songs are important and real (and funny, and touching). I live in Britain in 2020 and this is what it's like. I mean I'm not young, I'm not poor, I'm spared much of the worst of it - but anyone connected to what is actually happening in the UK should be able to pick up on this.
While the album is British to the core in its references...yes, I totally agree with you. Maybe it has to do with the globalization process - more or less the problems are the same for all Western (in the cultural sense) countries.
It is indeed a very moving album. Hilarious and sad at the same time - which is the mark of the great artist for me.
^ ^^ I didn’t mean to imply that the music is parochial. If the songs are good then they must speak more widely - and I’m sure it’s right that these stories will resonate in most Western countries.
I did want to highlight though how grounded in a very recognisable version of Britain they are, and how they are written in a specifically British (in fact English, in fact North Eastern English) idiom. This is a thing I like about them; a song that feels as though it could have been written by anybody living anywhere at any time can still be a good song, but it can’t really hit that flinty note of truth about the way people live in the same way. Dawson is all about that.
Having mentioned Wyatt and Thompson as references, another one occurs: Billy Bragg.
Last edited by Mascodagama; 01-21-2020 at 12:46 PM.
I confirm all this, and one thing doesn't exclude the other.
It's funny how this guy, after a record full of twists and surprises, comes with a song like Dead Dog In An Alleyway at the end of it. Which is not so much in the spirit of the rest of it, being unequivocally grim. This song sealed the masterpiece status of 2020 for me.
Unfortunately Richard Dawson is gradually - and I believe irreversibly - going blind, so whoever has the chance to catch him performing should hurry to do so.
What a wonderful album. In some ways it's just straightahead songs - but what straightahead songs! Music with deceptive sophistication underlying its apparent simplicity - enough sophistication to satisfy an unreconstructed prog fan, for repeated listenings. Lyrics without apparent verbal fanciness, no elaborate images or surreal flights, just plainly-told short stories set to music - but great, expressive short stories with first-rate characterization.
A question: Dawson sings in an identifiable British regional accent, with occasional "Beatles" pronunciations. What part of England is that accent from?
Last edited by Baribrotzer; 01-26-2020 at 03:58 PM.
North-Eastern England, subset Newcastle-upon-Tyne - colloquially, Geordie. Beatles are North-Western England, subset Liverpool - colloquially, Scouse. An English ear finds those vowels quite distinct - but these nuances are I think difficult for non-natives to pick up on.
I haven't heard this but I love very English/British music so I'm in. Gotta sneak it in between the Canterbury, Cow, Krautrock, and bits of Rush. But I'll do it.
Finally giving this album the attention it deserves. I think it’s lovely. I really liked his previous album, Peasant, but this one has got under my skin more profoundly.
I am totally enjoying the new Richard Dawson album called 'Henki' at the moment. Very different from what he has done before. Probably his most 'proggy' album to date.
https://richardmichaeldawson.bandcamp.com/album/henki
My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/
This stands to continue, apparently - according to Jussi "Richard Dawson is now our lead singer".
That's from a very good interview piece in The Quietus:
https://thequietus.com/articles/3085...wson-interview
we've got the top 7 answers to who Richard Dawson is.....
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Bought Henki myself. Good album, and sounds exactly like what it is - a Scandinavian band playing psych, with a British folkie singing.
Last edited by Baribrotzer; 12-18-2021 at 09:34 PM.
Gonna have to check this out tomorrow! Sounds intriguing.
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