Music of 2009 - Exception 1

Two brief caveats about my dismissal of music in 2009. The first will be in this post, the second to follow shortly.

I knew I'd forgotten something in my review of the year. Of course, the excellent Duckworth Lewis Method came out last year - a concept album so bizarrely brilliant that it redefined the genre of cricket-rock forever. It is without doubt one of my albums of the year.

Spearheaded by Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy and Thomas Walsh, The Duckworth Lewis Method released their eponymous cricket-based concept album before the summer's Ashes series. Now I imagine that the words 'cricket' and 'concept album' in the same sentence probably warded off as many listeners as it won, however when I first read about the idea and the personnel involved, I knew that this would be something special.

The album opens by crafting a soundscape evocative of Sunday afternoons in summer, with birdsong and a sung conversation between the titular Duckworth and Lewis over The Coin Toss.

Following this introduction comes The Age of Revolution, the first true slice of the album's style, which opens with a classic swing hook, followed by a syncopated tap of the drumsticks, before kicking into a synth-led verse and strong 4/4 drum rhythm. One can practically smell the well-starched cords and frock coats. Walsh sings the main body of the song detailing the transformation of the game with a hefty degree of rock intensity and the occasional bridges (or rather witty piano-accompanied asides) from Hannon. It's the history of cricket, but with guitar solos and classic musical wit from Neil Hannon.

The next track, Gentlemen And Players, is a mix of pop sensibilities and understated humour, that fans of The Divine Comedy may take for granted from Hannon, though I can assure you, reader, such talent should not be undervalued in the sea of trashy pop soundalikes that flood the singles charts every week.

The Sweet Spot has a heavy synth bass opening and sounds closer to a Muse track than anything to do with cricket, but soon gets into the groove. This is a display the incredible nous of Hannon and Walsh in which each song can be interpreted in different ways - a song about cricket technique or about sex. It's not double-entendre per se, but it's as near as dammit - like a 21st century Flanders and Swann (though perhaps not as close as Armstrong and Miller's Brabbins and Fyfe).

Jiggery Pokery is an absolute triumph and hands down my favourite track on the album. It owes a lot to the traditions of music hall, with its stately opening and following oom-pah verses. There are few modern day eureka moments, however when Neil Hannon decided to write a song from the perspective of Mike Gatting facing that ball, it was surely an instance to rival Archimedes in the bath. It's a funny as any stand-up's take on the delivery and musically it's well thought through with tiny inflections reflecting the lyrical content. It's a testament to the charm of the project that the 'Baboon chorus' feature big name comedy talent, such as Phil Jupitus and Alexander Armstrong. Now this is a song for true cricket-lovers and perhaps doesn't have the mass appeal of some of the album tracks, but remains a tremendous laugh out loud funny foot-stomper.

Mason On The Boundary has a gentle, mellow, summery feel to it and reflects upon the issues of colonial attitudes and how it shaped cricket, though it's easy for this to pass over your head, as you're whirled away by the soft acoustic rhythms of Walsh and the measured piano of Hannon. It also features a middle monologue, performed masterfully by the marvellous Matt Berry (for a classic version, see this live performance, featuring the irrepressible Mr. Berry)

Like The Coin Toss, Rain Stops Play, is one of the short musical interludes that strings together the two sides of the album and evokes the emotions of this familiar phrase fully. This is the cement of the concept album, keeping it flowing along very nicely.

Meeting Mr. Miandad is one of the singles from the album and is another song that non-cricket lovers will easily be able to appreciate. Complete with another strong sense of rhythm driving this tale of the search for the titular Pakistani batsman, who it would seem has a penchant for cricket-rock too.

The Nightwatchman is another pop classic penned by Hannon, which, as one might expect, is the tale of a Nightwatchman (uninitiated, see here), backed by touching string melodies and a stirring, evocative chorus. Again Hannon proves his remarkable talent for creating complex musical arrangements that retain an easy, effortless feeling to the ears. The string break in the middle injects drama and the piano head develops into a jazz scale solo towards the end. It is as perfect a piece of pop songwriting as I heard last year and it is one that can be appreciated on a number of levels by cricket fans, as well as those who simply have a good ear for a tune.

Flatten The Hay is a heady tale of summer sung in Walsh's unique style and featuring the piano motifs which have a good deal of coherence and consistency throughout the album. Again it builds to a stirring pre-chorus crescendo, before breaking into a baroque solo and DLM showcase their uncanny ability to evoke images of cricket with music alone, let alone the brilliantly crafted lyrics.

Test Match Special features another pounding rhythm followed by the bending legato harmony of a double-tracked guitar. I'll make no bones about it, these lyrics are unequivocally about cricket, whichever you look at it. If you don't like cricket, lyrically there's not much here for you, but seeing as I don't like cricket, I love it, this is about as good as it gets. It's a musical soundscape about test cricket and it features everything from a witty musical 'drinks break' featuring a modulated synth rhythm, to comments about a streaker and the zeppeling provided the birds-eye view pictures of the test. Cracking.

The End Of The Over is, as one might imagine, the final track on the album and features a cheeky bar turnaround to reflect the balls of the over and that piano motif again (see, it's a real concept album) before building to a polychoral finish, which breaks down into the flute rhythm found at the start of The Coin Toss, full circle on our cricket-based musical journey.

It is an astonishingly good album. The concept is as strong as you could hope for and the genius of Hannon and Walsh is that here they have crafted a musical project of not only consistently good songs, but witty asides about the modern game and a number of truly brilliant musical turns. It's a pleasure to listen to and every track can be enjoyed on the base level of musical appreciation, with cricket fans finding a little extra in each. There are stand-out tracks and ones which have clearly been written with one eye on commerical appeal, but this never gets in the way of the beauty of the concept album as a whole. I would strongly advise spending an afternoon listening all the way through this masterpiece. Come on, it'll make you feel warm and summery, despite all the snow.