•
Rating: I bought Skew-Whiff A Tribute To Mark Rothko when it was released in 1991. I thought it was Charles Hayward's first solo album, but I was wrong. Years later, the oracle showed me that it wasn't so, and that in '87 this "Survive the Gesture" had already been released, claiming that its content was a continuation of the discourse undertaken with Camberwell Now. Astonished by the great news, I unleashed Google in search of some saintly pirate and found it. Yes, because I love the Camberwell Now a lot, even more than This Heat, considering them one of the most original creatures in 1980s England's music scene (as far as I know about 1980s England's music scene).
The style is indeed that one, like the taste for song form, even if absolutely impure at times, and the drumming becomes more abundant but never exuberant, as if to fill the space left void by Trefor Goronwy, who is a guest on a couple of tracks.
Charles is a jack-of-all-trades musician. Besides beating the drums in his avant-proletarian style, his little keyboard emits organ-like buzzing sounds that have accompanied him like a trademark for years, and then there's that voice that would be more ugly than beautiful, but that's how it has to be, perfect.
"Survive the Gesture", an opportunity to get to know Charles Hayward in an album that embraces many elements of his musical past and leaves him to a future not as grand as it could have been. Or not?
Tracklist and Videos
Loading comments slowly
