A Larum

I was hesitant about buying this album at first but did after a friend recomended it. I can not stop listening to it, it's been in my CD player for almost 2 months. One of the more talented bands to have come out recently in a world where all new artists are sounding blah. This mans voice is hypnotic and the music has soul. Try blasting Cold Bread and driving fast.

Great album. Great sound. It is a very whole album. It left me with a feeling of contentment and an urge to listen to it again right away.
I highly recommend it. You cannot not love it.

Let me just begin this review by acknowledging that A LARUM by Johnny Flynn is not for everyone. There are a great number of people for whom the eclectic appeal of this CD will just be lost. Fortunately, I am not one of those people.

The lyrics are odd, the sound is a little offbeat, but for those of us who like a strange bit of silly, the songs are undeniably catchy. To be perfectly frank, Johnny Flynn is one of those artists who worry me a bit because I fear the greater majority of consumers won't `get' his music, thereby diminishing sales and possibly preventing future releases by this delightfully atypical musician.

I mentioned before that there is a bit of silly in the lyrics, but don't let that fool you - Flynn incorporates some very serious messages in his songs. THE WROTE & THE WRIT is a fine example of this.

Regarding Johnny Flynn's vocals, I would say he is a decent singer, although he stand out more for the unusual delivery he brings to these songs rather than musical ability. Actually, I would characterize him as more of a story-teller than a singer, which fits in well with the categorization of his music in the folk genre. Each of thes songs in A LARUM is a little story, and Johnny Flynn the narrator.

Whatever else you might think about the songs, I will guarantee you that the songs are catchy enough to worm their way into your head before you realize it. I can't tell you how often I find myself singing pieces of LEFTOVERS, in particular. Of course, you have to love (if you are as weird as I am) a song with lines such as:

"Leftovers is what I want
Don't need no fine cuisine
Give me a dime for bacon rind
Or slip me some of that old sardine"

Weird, right? They hold a strange appeal, but they appeal to me nonetheless. Perhaps I have an overactive imagination, but the meaning I find in this chorus is that he leads a simple life where he is happy with very little, and doesn't need much money to be happy, doesn't put on airs.

Again, this CD is probably not going to appeal to the mass market, but it is worth a listen if you like music that is just a little left of center. I like it enough that I will be buying more of Johnny Flynn's CDs. If Amazon.com allowed half stars, I would rate this with 4.5 stars instead of 4.

Track listing:

1. The Box
2. The Wrote & The Writ
3. Tickle Me Pink
4. Brown Trout Blues
5. Eyeless In Holloway
6. Shore To Shore
7. Cold Bread
8. Wayne Rooney
9. Leftovers
10. Sally
11. Hong Kong Cemetry
12. Tunnels
13. All The Dogs Are Lying Down
14. Shore To Shore - reprise

Bands from fellow English speaking countries regularly trickle across the Atlantic, Pacific, or the Canadian Border. Yet, it's not always enough to gain an American audience when we have a large number of talented musicians. I mostly think of Paddy Casey's compilation that came out earlier this year and frankly cannot recommend.
However, when I listened to Johny Flynn's "A Box," the first song on "A Laurm," I enjoyed the fairly melancholic lyrics coupled with a fairly upbeat melody that includes brass and string in addition the usual guitar and percussion.The second song "The Wrote and The Writ" uses religious images and allusions and is slightly less upbeat. The third track "Tickle Me Pink" also includes at least a little religious allusions, with a catchy refrain.

The rest of the album consistently delivers on the promise of the first few tracks and interweaves religion and poverty into interesting well-crafted songs. Johnny Flynn's "A Larum" is a great Folk Rock, Alternative Folk, etc. debut. Fans of musicians that hover on the folk, rock, alt. country, will mostly likely appreciate Flynn's album.

I'm reviewing this disk for my college radio station. I'm reminded of early Incredible String Band, The Pogues, The Mekons and Chumbawamba. Songs are clever, warm, soulful and spirited.