SMITH, AIDAN - ALLOTMENTS (CD)

"Allotments takes the listener on an epic journey, visiting London, Paris and 'The Bull's Head' and introducing more of the tragi-comic characters that have peppered Smith's remarkable canon of work so far. Reminiscent of Kurt Weill's woozy cabaret and Rufus Wainwright's touching melodrama, but anchored by a traditional pop ideology, Allotments is a perfectly-formed oddity; its realism and surrealism runs through every beguiling jaunt. Opener Morning Was Your Picnic announces itself with dizzying brass and organ, immediately confirming Smith's unparalleled understanding of melody, while lyrical vulnerability runs hand in hand with a streak of biting black humour. Murder Ballad provides a fresh new take on the oft-ubiquitous Saturday night tale of woe, Smith's startling wit and candour sitting alongside barbershop quartet harmonies." (label info)