Peter Alexander Jobson: Burn The Ration Books Of Love

Mild mannered bass player Peter Alexander Jobson branches out on his own terms from years of being a vital part of the great I Am Kloot. This is a heart warming collection of torch songs that come deep from his soul says Wayne AF Carey…

Peter (or Pete as I know him from the Kloot years) has not been lying around doing nothing for all these years. He’s been hatching up his solo masterplan with his good friend Guy Garvey to create his own mark on music with his sublime debut, namely Burn The Ration Books Of Love. I introduced Peter back here with his solo stuff in June, highlighting his wonderful debut video, a stark gothic affair that gave you an idea of what was to come and how his plan was coming to fruition. Touring with Elbow and doing a stint with Nadine Shah has not hindered his beautiful work and a support with the great John Grant can only work in his favour judging by this creative debut.

12 tracks of great stuff kicking off with live track Holiday, a piano led tune with hints of a comedy Nick Cave regaling a trip to the supposed sex capitals. Mountain is a country based tune full of Peter’s gravel like tones that ooze of Cash and Cohen in his own rights. It’s a far cry from Kloot and a step into his own mellow direction of gothic country soul. The Night Of The Fire is the perfect torch song, flicking back to his childhood when he burnt down his village. It’s a beautiful atmospheric piano piece with a great story of kids running away from a scene of accidental destruction. Wry comedic lyrics that carry through the acoustic air. Taxi Supplies is a melancholic number that drifts through your head with a numbing wave of joyous sadness. Loving the shimmering guitars in this for effect.

Go Go has that mellow country vibe again, strolling along with Peter’s lyrics painting a picture of being left alone from a partner. Morose yet a kind of ‘fuck off’ in a nice Cash maudlin style as Foolish Boy is a shimmering one minute goodbye again that floats into the next track. Please Please Please continues the torch song theme with hark back to Tindersticks at their glittering best, which most people can’t see yet I still get that vibe from the days I saw them in the early 90’s. No frills just a floating eeriness full of quality. Home continues the melancholy theme on here. Just a minute of Jobson with lyrics full of lament about getting to wherever his home is nowadays.

The 12 minute masterpiece of this whole album is the excellent spoken word of Kesta. An impressive piece of work that hits my whole world of clever prose against a background of solid showmanship that has had me rating past poets like Francis Lung who know about about weaving magic around a story that can drag you in and spit you out. From the opening eyes of watching his mate knocking over a pot noodle scoring a perfect ten with a glint in his eye like Robert De Niro with some great flicking bass and drums perfecting the motion. The prison scene when he gets out is a touching part that sets the scene rolling again, full of spliffs and loud music and rolling back into the dark scene back to Newcastle, dragging you in. It’s a love song to Kesta who has a good heart (to some) and Peter always establishes his trust with this one guy who keeps fucking up with his dodgy ‘polo mint’ drug deals. “Am I fuck” as Kesta the rogue / raconteur says… Brilliant…

Just Cause I’m Dead is full of great lyrics and comedy which shows, with the Charlie Chaplin character in his video, a smooth number of pianos and haunting melody that you never think should end with the gospel like outro that sounds ghostly. Next is the epic Burn The Ration Books which is just as eerily excellent with Peter playing violin and setting his stall with some heart aching piano turning this whole affair into a thing of beauty, with even Guy Garvey stamping a small but effective mark on his vocals. A stunning piece of music with a bit of Gilmour-esque guitar sounds ending the calm.

A great debut from the quiet member of Kloot who was an integral member and can still keep the torch song going in his own dark yet light world of craft.

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Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here