Lupen Crook - Iscariot The Ladder

by Jon Fletcher

Quirky yes, but Lupen Crook's second album is anything but inaccessible

"The occasional thumping guitar riff or foot tapping chorus – as on ‘Young Love’ – helps to soften some of the album’s eccentricities."

On his website, Lupen Crook claims to be, “a bastard of the catholic enterprise who knows little reason for why others and myself were ever given its privilege.” The press release for the album reads, “Like militia, Lupen Crook and his pressure group are focused and unforgiving.” All this folksy, ditsy paraphernalia is a diabolical distraction; the sort of twaddle that makes great artists sound totally inaccessible; a clumsy tool to stake out a plot of the left field. In fact, Crook’s music is perfectly capable of speaking for itself with a directness that belies the meanderings of his promo material.

Crook’s 2006 debut, ‘Accidents Occur While Sleeping’, marked him out as a songwriter with a unique take on life and ‘Iscariot The Ladder’, his follow up, maintains this independence of mind. Its ten tracks seem to offer far more than an album’s worth of entertainment, mainly because of the obvious thought that has gone into every one.

Vocally, Crook remains pinned down somewhere between tunefulness and catastrophe, his talent lying in his ability to make his weakness sound like a strength. On the opener, ‘Cackle And The Crown’, his wavering, inconsistent falsetto supports the haunting mood of the song’s first section. On ‘Mathew’s Magpie’, there’s something about the subtle reverb on the vocal and sparse acoustic guitar of the first refrain that is reminiscent of Cat Stevens. Later, we seem to be immersed in 70s glam rock.

Cutting through this stylistic schizophrenia, a rich vein of theatre runs through the whole album. This could easily be overpowering, crossing into novelty, but instead it acts like an anchor, making sense of the disparate influences and imbuing the whole package with texture and personality.

Songs like ‘Summertime’ have a cat-like rhythm and drama that could have come straight from the set of an overblown musical, Crook’s throaty shouting sounding like the agonised exclamations of a troubled lead. The brass only adds to the bravado, while the backing vocals on ‘Sympathy, Sunshine And The Catatonic Kiss... Goodbye’ echo a concert hall chorus line.

Throughout it all, Crook and his backing band, the Murderbirds, exhibit an exquisite feel for when to hold back and when to rock out. The occasional thumping guitar riff or foot tapping chorus – as on ‘Young Love’ – helps to soften some of the album’s eccentricities, so that the record simultaneously draws you in and makes you deeply aware that it will take many, many more listens to unlock every nuance.

In short, don't be put off by the otherworldly promotional gumph - we can’t recommend this enough.
drumcottage said on February 14th 2008 [report abuse]

i think this the best and most intresting band the u.k has produced for years

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