Within the space of a month, London-based acoustic guitarslinger MIKE SCOTT has released not one but two albums – of sorts. The first, ‘Saturation Point’ marks the former Phinius Gage man’s first album proper. The second, ‘(Almost) Everything Else’ is a remastered collection of out-of-print songs. Punktastic levels a 2-for-1 review at the pair.
SATURATION POINT (Fond Of Life Records)
From the liner notes: “Music is disposable right now, a million artists after your attention. This is my reaction to it, our first full-length album. It’s a scrapbook of ideas done at low budget.”
‘Saturation Point’ is easily the toughest of Scott’s output to get your head around. “Scrapbook of ideas” is definitely right, with most of the 17 songs timing in at around about a minute and sounding unfinished. We’re talking one verse/one chorus, fat stripped out stuff here – a work in progress perhaps? Perhaps not. Scott claims in theme this release is heavily influenced by the 2006 Ceremony album, ‘Violence Violence’, a 20 song, 20 minute blast of hardcore that never dwells for long. There’s even a cover of the band’s ‘You’re All The Same’ thrown in to prove the point.
While it’s tough to get a handle on, there is one really positive result of this technique. In such stanzas you really pay attention to the lyrics – blunt, cynical and impacting as they are (no change there). These are some of the most earnest Scott has recorded. ‘Ben’s Song’ tells of a friend being beaten to death. ‘It’s Your Job To Keep Punk Rock Elite’, the album’s standout, calls out everybody that dismisses bands when they ‘make it big’. ‘Xenophobic Town‘ is self-explanatory, while the title track examines how there are far too many bands around these days. Cutting stuff that, given the chance, will grow to impress.
[3/5]
(ALMOST) EVERYTHING ELSE (AAAHH!!! Real Records)
Curiously, ‘(Almost) Everything Else’ is more of a straight-forward, easy to comprehend album. Curiously because it’s actually a collection of previously released material rather than an album per se. The songs on this compilation span Scott’s entire solo career, from the completely stripped down approach of 2007 until today’s ‘fuller’ sound refined by the backing vocals of Ren Aldridge and various added instruments.
Scott’s style is one of simplicity: straight forward, lyrically scathing and abrupt. It has been since the outset of his solo career so this collection maintains the same thematic and musical ideas, as well as the same low-fi recording methods throughout. While it can be punitive, it also has the sound of a man with his heart on his sleeve. This is where Scott has always stood out. No nonsense, no bullshit, just a plain thought-provoking approach. Covers of Neil Diamond, Propagandhi, The Connells, and Phinius Gage go a long way to summing up Scott’s influences, yet emerge with a very distinctive style.
This compilation serves well on a variety of levels. It’s a decent introduction piece as well as a practical one-stop-shop of material. It’s also a very good companion piece to ‘Saturation Point’, demonstrating Scott’s general approach in the face of such experimental matter. On top of all that, the mix of tracks goes some way to capturing Scott’s live performance, an arena in which he probably excels more so than on recording. Basically, if you’re into the whole acoustic punk movement, this is a worthy pick-up.
‘(Almost) Everything Else’ collects full EP’s ‘…And A Master Of None’ (2010) and ‘…At The Slaughterhouse’ (2008), choice tracks from Scott’s original ‘demo’ release, ‘Massacre Songs’ (2007), and a trio of additional demos.
[4/5]
ALEX HAMBLETON