As a founding member of The Fall, Martin Bramah will be safely ensconced in the annals of 20th century music for decades to come, but rather than coast on prior achievements the guitarist and singer-songwriter is back leading the group he formed upon parting ways with Mark E Smith in 1979; new LP The Once and Future Thing coincides with a roundup of oft-brilliant early Blue Orchids’ material (Awefull), a once barely available Bramah solo album (The Battle of Twisted Heel), and a 2CD featuring a pair of ’80’s vintage live shows. It’s all out June 3 via Tiny Global Productions.
It’s widely reported that Martin Bramah was initially supposed to serve as vocalist for The Fall, with Mark E Smith situated in the guitarist role; their subsequent switcheroo resulted in some of the most rewarding sounds of the post-punk era, and casual observers might assess Bramah, who exited The Fall after Live at the Witch Trials, as merely an early casualty of a revolving door membership policy. He did briefly return to The Fall for ’90’s Extricate, but the Blue Orchids’ discography handily proves the error in overlooking Bramah’s talents.
Commencing activity in 1980 with keyboardist Una Baines and guitarist Rick Goldstraw (both ex-Fall), bassist Steve Toyne and drummer Ian Rogers, Blue Orchids explored a blend of post-punk and non-goofus neo-psychedelia, hooking up with Rough Trade and producing the terrific The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) in ’82.
Awefull collects the two singles preceding the LP and the “Agents of Change” EP that immediately followed; those owning the CD edition of The Greatest Hit or either of the two previous Blue Orchids compilations will be familiar with these selections, but two demos get included here for the interest of longtime fans.
The 45s and EP haven’t been on vinyl since A View from The City 1980-1991 came out 25 years ago, so it’s worth picking up Awefull for their first 45 alone; “The Flood” is an exemplary post-punk artifact, linking an energetic pace to fluid string din and an impassioned vocal performance from Bramah. Baines’ keys add psych elements to the equation as lingering art fumes eradicate any hints of throwback, and the flip “Disney Boys” ups the melody without weakening the atmosphere, its organ tones especially attractive. Overall, an enduring classic co-produced by Mayo Thompson.
They lost nothing on their follow-up, although “Work” does significantly increase the neo-psych impression through an organ line more than slightly resembling the garagedom of two decades before; in counterpoint, Thompson stuck around to assist with the art angle as Bramah wastes no time getting twisted into a lather. B-side “The House That Faded Out” merges the ‘60s-ish aura with jagged guitar, stuttering drums, and a general sense of post-punk discontent.
The EP is more refined, but that was a near period constant; if not as untamed, Bramah was growing substantially as a songwriter, his skill particularly evidenced by the crisp punch of “Agents of Change” and the chamber-pop-leaning “Conscience,” as “Release” and “The Long Night Out” shake off the post-punk aspects for the realms of art-pop. The guitar’s presence helps in the eschewal of the lightweight, mingling nicely with Baines’ effervescent keys on “Unknown” and providing a non-toxic reggae lilt to Awefull’s closer “Sleepy Town.”
Blue Orchids are best known to a select few as Nico’s backing unit circa ’82; they broke up the same year but resurfaced with different lineups in ’85, ’91, ’04 and ’12; to Bramah’s credit, The Once and Future Thing makes no attempt to mimic the sound of ’80-’82; instead, opener “A Good Day to Live” is a sturdy rocker with suitably gruff vocals.
The post-punk-tinged “Feather from the Sun” comes next, lengthening to six minutes as Bramah’s speak-sing underlines roots in The Fall. He’s is undoubtedly less eccentric than Smith, maintaining the crooner possibilities he toyed with on “Agents of Change” as the keyboard of John Paul Moran (ex-Monochrome Set) nods to the Orchids’ neo-psych past.
Catchy, buoyant and brightly sunny, “Jam Today” dives sans reservation into the deep end of the psych-pop pool and not only doesn’t drown but displays decent form in a zone that can become sodden with froth. “Motorway” kicks the tempo up courtesy of drummer Chris Connolly (ex-The Glitter Band, Ed Banger & the Nosebleeds, V2) for another fairly straightforward guitar and organ-infused rocker reinforcing Bramah’s influence on such acts as Inspiral Carpets.
Moving into advanced-pop territory, “Rosy Hours” is modestly scaled to fit the album surrounding it but could easily support a full-on orchestral treatment. Next is the jangling, vocally upfront and unabashedly late-’80s Mancunian neo-psych styled “August Rebels,” connecting like a heavily toiled-over single designed to infiltrate the Alt charts and maybe even get some play on Post Modern MTV. This shouldn’t register as a putdown, though I’ll confess to my enthusiasm being a bit less stoked.
It’s an unexpected wrinkle in The Once and Future Thing’s landscape, with “Whisky Burn” a rousing pub singalong and “Iron Tree” dishing tongue in cheek braggadocio effectively steering the record back toward post-punkish racket; “Running Blind” alternates strum and more aggressive passages without succumbing to the triteness of formula.
The same goes for the indie-pop melodicism of “Road to Perilous,” the LP’s closer elevated by the second guitar of Ann Matthews (Ectoplasm, Fflaps); it begins with Bramah speaking a stanza of the lyrics, his delivery foreshadowing the unrestrained poetic recitation mode of CD bonus “Groundhog Life,” the track additionally giving bassist Chris Dutton (Kill Pretty) a moment to shine.
It concludes a solid if somewhat uneven effort that consistently avoids going through the motions. Upon inspection however, I prefer Bramah solo on The Battle of Twisted Heel. Lyrically sharp opener “The Fall of Great Britain” wields banjo and bountiful strumming to pleasingly Robyn Hitchcock-like effect as “Coming Forth by Day” employs mandolin and Charlotte Bill’s flute for a touch of Brit-folk ambiance.
Standout “I-Super Real” retains the folky, relatively stripped-down musical setting but gives it a darker edge. “Stone Tumbling Stream” is bolder as subtle vibe playing intertwines with the guitar and flute, and though distinct of mood, the closest analogue to Bramah’s vocal-lyrical swagger is The Once and Future Thing’s “Iron Tree.” “It’ll Be Night Soon” augments the scenario with stinging electric and handclaps as “The Moon’s Lost Light” exudes a hootenanny feel and impressive mandolin; the mid-’60s-descended folk-pop nugget “Lucybel” sits in between.
“Black Comic Book” examines a distorted punk-busker angle as the organ-accented moody-pop of “Strangely Lucid” (given the parenthetical of ‘alternate mix’) further diverts from the folk template. In part through a wailing harmonica “Green Rocky Road” is bluesy and “Necessity” (designated as the ‘unheard mix’) spreads out for the finale with a full band excursion into riffy melodic rock.
Directly after The Battle of Twisted Heel Bramah formed Factory Star (eventually to include Stephen and Paul Hanley of The Fall) so these travels into rockier climes are understandable. Factory Star recut around half of these tracks across a couple of discs but were soon usurped by the reignited Blue Orchids. It’s ultimately only a portion of the guy’s lengthy musical journey; his recent and brand new stuff holds up surprisingly well beside the high quality found on Awefull.
The Once and Future Thing:
B
Awefull:
A-
The Battle of Twisted Heel:
B+
