Mark Buckeridge, 'I Can Talk To You'
Info: Talking Is Good For You is Corkonian Mark Buckeridge's second E.P. release following 2012's Ground Yourself. Reference points here could be Gary Numan, Bowie and Television but Buckeridge's latest release is at times so chaotic and wistful I still can't make sense of it after listening to it ten times. When I first played the video for the first track, 'I Can't Talk To You' (above), after 10 seconds I thought he was pulling my leg, so theatrical are his vocals. It's not long before you realise that Buckeridge may not take himself too seriously but he certainly takes making good music seriously. As soon as your second time listening to this track you're hooked, from low vocals to higher pitches, light touch cymbals and keyboards all combine perfectly right up to that little, almost inaudible key progression at the very end of the song, it's a very satisfying listen, and the video is great too.
Currently I cannot decide whether I prefer 'I Can't Talk To You' or the third song, 'O That Noise'. Again you get the feeling that Buckeridge has just sat down at a drum kit and made something up on the spot without thinking about it but ends up with a great song. As throughout the entire E.P., instruments seem to appear randomly in the middle of the tracks, such as the guitar and horn here, and it works. Talking Is Good For You finishes strongly with the sombre 'To Fall Asleep' and I particularly loved the all too brief keyboards in the middle of the track, it's as if they're responding directly to Buckeridge's lament. Overall we have a rewarding compilation of tracks here that get better and better with each listen and Mark Buckeridge is one of those song-writers that makes you curious as to what he may pull out of his magicians hat next.
Mark Buckeridge, 'O That Noise'
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Website: http://www.markbuckeridge.com/
Bandcamp: http://markbuckeridge.bandcamp.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkBuckeridge
