Euros Childs - Sweetheart

Just what you'd expect and want from Euros when he's in full-band mode - a set of highly accomplished and blissfully melodic songs, with piano, harmonies and his still angelic voice taking centre stage.

As you would expect for an album recorded at his parents house whilst they kindly went away on holiday, there's a distinctly warm and homely feel to the music. The inner sleeve even shows the band in action - setting up cables in the dining room, recording guitar parts in the kitchen, preparing lunch, doing the dishes and looking after the family cat.

Euros Childs - Situation Comedy

Bad day at the office and then I get home to find this waiting for me a few days ahead of its release date. A new album by Euros Childs.

I'm pretty sure that every record that Euros has been involved in, from the early Gorky's Zygotic Mynci releases through to his most recent 'experimental' release At The Dance, has brought a smile to my face. 

This is no different.

Things that made me smile:
It's on vinyl.
The front cover, with a grumpy Euros in front of a picture of him as a child with (I presume) his dad.
The gatefold sleeve - a still from the Tête a Tete video (see below)
The song titles - Ooh La Oona, Brides in the Bath, Holiday From Myself.
Sample lyrics: "I'm not going to dress up like your mother anymore".
And that's all before I've even listened to the music.

On first listen - and I'm writing this as I listen to it for the first time - it puts forward a convincing case for being his finest solo album. Piano led, but featuring a full band (including Laura J Martin on flute), the album is overflowing with melodies to die for and sugar coated with Euros's vocals - still one of the sweetest voices there is. Things come to an impressive finale when the beautifully stunning (or is that stunningly beautiful) Trick of the Mind floats by for 14 minutes.

Oh, and whenever I buy music direct from his National Elf website, I get a personal note from Euros (I presume he does this for everyone and he's not just singled me out as his überfan). "Hello Tim. Thanks for buying Situation Comedy. Hope you like it! Euros" it said. It made me smile.

Short and Curlies - At The Dance

Short & Curlies? One of the first things that sprang to mind when I heard the name was long forgotten dance duo Phats and Small (it's just the way my mind works sometimes), and I imagined the album being a Welsh tribute to their sound and many hits (Turn Around and, err, probably some others). Fortunately this wasn't the case - maybe for the next album eh? - and it turns out not to be a duo but a band featuring Euros Childs along with other such luminaries as Laura J Martin, R. Seiliog, Stephen Black, Megan Childs and Huw Evans.

 

Chart smashing hits aren't high on the band's agenda as, to quote Euros, "the album is completely instrumental, doesn't have verses and choruses and can't really be classified as pop music. So if you like your music with choruses, words and singing this might not be the album for you".

A monophonic recording, side one is definately the side that is "at the dance" or, as appears to be the case, is at least within earshot of a dance. Two minutes of abstract sounds give way to four different takes on the sort of music your grandparents used to dance to - to these ears they're almost Gorkys-esque instrumentals from the 1940s. Side two is an entirely different kettle of fish and the comedown from the almost party you've just had - heavy on Euros' keyboards and summertime drones with the "serene" trilogy taking you a faraway place, it's borders on being unnerving and quite lovely.

Some of the delightful song titles...

It's a vinyl only release (or you can download a version from Euros' website) but the first 120 copies include a promo CD version of the album. Oh, and mine also had a lovely personalized message from Euros.