Tom Hingley: The Grand Mal
(New Memorabilia)
Available now here
Vinyl available 2nd September
Inspiral Carpets iconic vocalist Tom Hingley is back with a grand statement, introducing his opus The Grand Mal, a twisting turning piece of art from the man with that voice. A seven year gap from his last release and it’s well worth the wait. Wayne AF Carey reviews and gets an insight into each track from Tom…
Actors: The opening song muses over us being the ‘stars tennis balls’ (John Webster The Duchess of Malfi) how Fate controls us and how we act out the parts in our lives like Shakespearian Players.
This is a beautiful piece of acoustic work from Tom with hints of Johnny Bramwell and Stephen Fretwell going in there with his own inimitable vocals. A spine tingler.
Easy: A slow Bossa-nova love song with Whicker Man © style Harp lines provided by Schrodinger’s Strings and the pitter patter of Pete Marshall’s (Paul Heaton Band) drums and Gary Hadfield on bass. This love song finds myself in an unusually relaxed and sultry repose.
A slow burning number with Tom going all falsetto in a chilled out mellow groove that soothes the ears with the background harp adding to a lush dream pop sound.
Take it Like a Woman is an Inspiral-like throwback with grinding Farfisa supplied by Mr Keys Andrew Stewardson (Mock Turtles), drums from Pete Marshall (Paul Heaton Band) and Gary Hadfield on bass.
The closest you’ll get to an Inspiral Carpets track with that signature Farfisa sound, a cracking chorus and lyrics I’ll let you work out. A chart hit in the making.
Another Bird On A Wire: This is a lover’s complaint of a song, Welleresque in its soul bound reach, my White Boy soul vocals traverse a slow acoustic guitar descending scale like a dove landing on a breaking heart. Kelly Wood provides piano.
Back to the acoustic sound he revels in the sweet piano sound which compliments his well executed acoustic refrains and more falsetto, nailed with the perfect polished production which shines throughout this opus.
Harder: This is a song about your parents not wanting you as a child. It’s based on the idea that it’s hard to be born again when your parents didn’t want you to be born in the first place. My Father didn’t want me as a baby, so I had to run away and join the Circus, well a Garage Band really. Slow acoustic melancholy lift to an uplifting Gospel extended chorus as the song unbirths itself.
One of the highlights of the album, a cracking personal song with some fantastic lyrics and a killer chorus. “I’m the very last page in the book that you ripped out” obviously a nod to his relationship with his father. “A pneumatic drill at the rainbows end”. Hingley at his vocal best.
How Could I be so Wrong: A song of sorrows, of relationship regrets and the basis for the finding of the need for a post lockdown emotional and relationship reset. With a computer you would merely switch it off and on again, this song aims to do that with the singer’s heart. Nobody ever sounded so penitent while singing the central lines “I’m sorry, So Sorry” and there’s few records outside Al Green’s soul Majesty that attempt that.
An electronic switch which gives hints of Yazoo, Depeche Mode and Erasure, yet owned by Tom’s vocals with an uplifting swoop of crystal clear majesty. He’s raising the bar here and limboing into his own destiny. Stunning stuff.
My Madness: Four minutes of grinding electric guitar, bass, drums and attitude as I spill my breakdown lockdown blues in a free form free writing poem. “I saw the birds fly south in your mouth” The song comes from reflects and speaks total madness. Doggerel and bad poetry mingle with distorted guitar, bass and a rock beat to free the mind from insanity.
A claustrophobic piece of repetitive psychedelic scuzzy rock which is another highlight for me. Tom is in dark preacher mode here as he delivers his stark lyrics in spoken word style with ease. It’s like a kick to the head before the last four tracks.
White Feathers: A plaintive song about my Mother’s passing. White Feathers appear to the close relatives of the deceased as an intimation that their loved ones souls are near. I don’t believe in Spiritualism but I do believe it can affect you if you believe it can.
A lovely piece of acoustic magic from Tom yet again. As he says he doesn’t believe in Spiritualism yet I’ve come across white feathers myself closely after a relatives death. There’s no explanation yet it does happen. Great lyrics which will resonate with anyone who should hear them.
This is My First Rodeo: Joan Crawford’s on screen character played by Faye Dunnaway emoted when asked to play a drunk in a film ‘This is not my first Rodeo’ in Mommy Dearest which is the origin of this phrase so This IS My First Rodeo is as pean to innocence to admitting when some life goal (marriage, lose of virginity, divorce for example) is being experienced in real time for the first time and saying that its important to acknowledge and to let ones own soul know and feel that feeling. The wrap around internet social media age makes younger folk pretend thy have all done all the life changing experiences before because digital social pressure renders it a meta faux pair to admit that one is doing something for the first time. Sonically the vocals are similar to the worn cynicism of Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True album. A hollow country feel to the song which belies the Innocence/Experience paradigm explored here.
Another highlight and a significant message in the lyrics, a soaring chorus and some majestic haunting keys from ex Mock Turtles geezer Andrew Stewardson. Hingley has always had a knack of being involved in uplifting anthems and he’s not lost it one bit. Another blinding piece of music from one of our national Manc treasures.
Open Up: This is a beautiful love song, one pure voice and one simple lyrical guitar expounding rekindled love.
What Tom says really. A nice piece of acoustic magic backed with that voice. The notions of just a singer in a band fly right out of the window with this beautiful piece of sound. When he tours this stuff you will weep. Just make sure Chris Bridgett gets a support slot!
Turnstyle: This is a Welleresque melancholic song which closes the Lockdown song structure.
Tom actually does sound uncannily like Weller on this closing track, yet I’m liking this a lot more than Weller’s latest output. This sounds more from the heart and not from the bank balance. Acoustic folk at it’s height and a nice closer from a modest honorary Manc.
An exemplary release from one of our genuine Madchester icons who still raises the bar and sprinkles some magic onto our beloved music scene with ease. If you’re looking for the new Inspiral Carpets here just go away. Tom Hingley IS Tom Hingley in his own right. This is songwriting from a talent who keeps on going and can still raise the hairs on your neck with those vocals and can also pull a trick or two on his acoustic guitar. Another album of the year for me.
Musician credits:
Tom Hingley – Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitar.
Gary Hadfield – Bass and Programming.
Peter Marshall – Drums.
Andrew Stewardson – Keys / Farfisa.
Kelly Wood – Piano.
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Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here
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