And Now For Something Completely Different

Ah the concept album, the most divisive of musical artform. Polarizing opinion between those who loathe their self indulgent, overblown pretensions and those who clamour for musical adventure with fond memories of Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, S.F Sorrow and Tommy still fresh in their minds. They can usually be found at roughly the third album stage of a band's career, following the initial bold statement of the debut and the babysteps towards something different on the sophomoric effort. Manchester's Janice Graham Band however, had other ideas.

It's Not Me is not, it has been stressed to us, JGB's first "proper" album, but rather "a soundtrack to a film screening in the mind of the listener and the grooves of the record". Such a tactic would be understandable were this the workings of a Krautrock outfit in the 70's, but coming from a band of riotous young Mancunians?

From the opening of 'Thirty Pieces of Silver' you immediately realise that this is no normal affair. No simple set of a dozen wham, bam, thankyou mam singalong indie numbers. Instead, Louisiana trumpets fill the air before slowly descending into what sounds like binary code and you're left wondering if Captain Spock has hijacked the production booth.

'Hacienda' kicks things into gear with lead singer Joe Jones beginning to flex his muscle like a snot nosed Mancunian Alex Turner. "Cos this is my time/I know that you've had your time" snaps Jones over ska brass and hip hop percussion before everything goes batshit mental around the 2.20 mark when a face melting Hendrix esque riff bends our tiny minds 42,659 different ways. Two tracks in and we're struggling for air.

Single 'No Money Honey' follows with suave N'orleans bayou jazz that further exemplifies just how far beyond their years Janice Graham are. Ok, the declaration of "Come close to me/I'm Mary Poppins" may be the most baffling lyric we hear all year, but such outside the box mindfuckery puts all the other so called 'next big thing' bands and their paint by numbers diluted Libertines guitar guff to shame.

It's Not Me twists and turns down a brutal path of love, life, sex and death. 'Love Letters' is a charmingly beautiful, rain sodden, fag stained spoken word piece, yet finds itself sharing company with the maniacal mariachi of 'Machete' (also spoken word as it happens) and the psychotic 'Murder' as the central character of the piece gradually unravels on a path of extreme self destruction against a backdrop of brooding reggae tinged latin licks.

'Murder' may be the crowning point of the whole piece, with lead singer Jones summing it up thusly;

" . . . this song is not there to make you feel at ease. It is a song written with a bigger idea in mind. It is part of an album that pulls no punches lyrically or musically."

In this, the advent of 'playing it safe' and sacrificing identity in favour of success, Janice Graham have provided a speedball shot straight to the central nervous system of the underground and hopefully, in time, to the mainstream. This album should not have been made for at least another five or six years, yet here it is, a debut concept album as fearless and powerful as anything since Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not. It will confuse and perplex, but most of all, it will stand alone as a huge fucking statement of intent.

Machiavelli once said "I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it". With It's Not Me, Janice Graham have taken their first step in their same quest.


* It's Not Me is released on February 27th, 2012 on Acid Jazz Records


Until next time,

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

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