John Grant, formerly of alternative rock band The Czars, has a knack for re-invention and experimentation. His first album Queen of Denmark was a collection of baroque and chamber-pop ballads, followed up with Pale Green Ghosts with its forays into electronic territory and now Grey Tickles, Black Pressure finds Grant in a happier place still with the acerbic wit and self-deprecation in full view.
Apparently “Grey Tickles” is from the Icelandic for mid-life crisis, while “black pressure” is from the Turkish for nightmare and these inform the composition within. This was an album on which Grant wanted to get angrier and moodier and apparently enjoyed the recording process more than the previous two. However the general tone of the album isn’t overwhelmingly dark by any stretch, on the contrary it is filled with hope and optimism amongst the blackly humorous lyrics.
This is an album of deftly crafted songs each with its own distinct identity from the darkly comic electronic ‘You & Him’: “You and Hitler ought to get together, you ought to learn to knit and wear matching sweaters.” through the electro-funk and analogue groove of ‘Voodoo Doll’, to the shoegaze-tinged ambience of ‘Magma Arrives’.
In places Grey Tickles, Black Pressure resembles offcuts from a Beck session or the darker, impish cousin of Pugwash. The melodies are strong with enough invention to prevent any chance of the songs drifting into clichéd and predictable territory.
Perhaps Grant’s most accomplished album to date and one in which he has truly found his voice.
