{"id":31070,"date":"2017-10-26T10:13:42","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T09:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=31070"},"modified":"2017-10-26T10:13:42","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T09:13:42","slug":"underclass-warriors-west-riding-redskins-salient-braves-scalp-brexit-britain-on-acerbic-debut-lp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2017\/10\/underclass-warriors-west-riding-redskins-salient-braves-scalp-brexit-britain-on-acerbic-debut-lp\/","title":{"rendered":"UNDERCLASS WARRIORS – West Riding Redskins Salient Braves Scalp Brexit Britain On Acerbic Debut LP"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Anyone familiar with the work of Matt Bailey<\/strong>‘s Salient Braves<\/strong> will know what to expect from this their debut crowdfunded LP.<\/h4>\n

Bailey’s sardonic, often laugh out loud lyrics, mercilessly turn the microscope on Brexit Britain and the notion of national pride.<\/h4>\n

The tramp on the cover is an abiding metaphor for many of the lowlife characters who lurk within, from the drunk, wasted and hope-deprived, to the pompously self-righteous, whose Delusions of Grandeur<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0give the album its title.<\/p>\n

Though he cheekily touts himself as an alternative to disillusioned Morrissey<\/strong> fans on social media, Bailey’s writing is perhaps more akin to fellow Yorkshireman\u00a0Pulp<\/strong>‘s\u00a0Jarvis Cocker<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Cocker’s Common People\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0“dance and drink and screw, because there’s nothing else to do,” while Bailey’s cheat, steal and gamble – provided, that is, they can even summon the energy to get out of bed.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, as on album opener\u00a0Somewhere Sordid<\/strong><\/em> – they’re rebels with “big intentions….young and not so worldly wise,” on other occasions they are “fighting a lost cause” – ground down by\u00a0The Absurdity Of It All<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

While most of his protagonists are the architects of their own undoing – Fruit Machines Lost Me My Friends<\/strong><\/em>, They Must’ve Seen Me Coming –<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0some are victims of the system, or the cruelty of others.<\/p>\n

One of the most powerful songs on the album,\u00a0Goodbye Goodbye<\/strong><\/em>, tackles the issue of domestic violence, with the central character, “a Lena Zavaroni lookalike” struggling to take “the final step” to free herself from an abusive lover.<\/p>\n

From the album title to the scabrous closing\u00a0Evening All (<\/strong><\/em>Satchmo’s Song)<\/strong><\/em>, which subverts\u00a0Louis Armstrong<\/strong>‘s\u00a0It’s A Wonderful World<\/strong><\/em>, Salient Braves appear to be out to expose the myth of ‘Great’ Britain.<\/p>\n

What’s the point of Brexiteers “taking our country back,” if it wasn’t so brilliant in the first place, seems to be the message.<\/p>\n

All of which could be pretty depressing, were it not for\u00a0Bailey’s love of language and wordplay; his humour providing a counterweight to the deep-rooted cynicism at the heart of this album.<\/p>\n

While clearly influenced by\u00a0C-86<\/strong>-ers like Mighty Mighty <\/strong>and the so-called shambling bands of the late ’80s, the Braves’ music is given added heart by the warmth of\u00a0Jonny Nocash<\/strong>‘s guitars.<\/p>\n

The odd brass flourish and Dani<\/strong>‘s\u00a0occasional backing vocals also put flesh on the bones of Bailey’s songs.<\/p>\n

There is the odd misfire.\u00a0Bangkok,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0a look at exploitative tourism – think\u00a0The Sex Pistols<\/strong>‘\u00a0Holidays In The Sun<\/strong><\/em> meets\u00a0Blur<\/strong>‘s\u00a0Girls and Boys\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>– is a nice idea not quite fully realised.<\/p>\n

But generally this is highly entertaining album, with a generous three bonus tracks on offer in the download version.<\/p>\n

These include the intriguing\u00a0Out To Lunch –\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>a frank examination of the stigma surrounding mental health issues – which highlights Bailey’s continuing development as a songwriter.<\/p>\n