Sam Upton's 2010 debut solo package
We
Make No Apology went by with little acknowledgement of it's own
existence. It was quietly 'launched' at a show for his band
(Manchester Mourning) and, apparently, three people bought a copy on
the night. You can probably now find it at the back of Tommy Gun
Record's local rack but you'd be forgiven for skipping over the
plain, sticky-taped paper product. "2 albums in 1" the
front declares.
We Make No Apology is completely
self-aware. The plain white packaging reveals itself to be an
imitation 12" sleeve, with a secondary windowed sleeve inside
holding the CD. Two albums, two sides; a small paper insert to match.
The front cover boasts "Quantity Low Quality", an honest
statement. This is bedroom pop to a fault.
The first 'album' on the disc is
Samuptonamonagroanamysharonadaytona500. 'Annoying Intro' is a
kitschy 80s interpretation of 'future space music', that kind of
synth bridge music usually found in educational videos from the era;
those educational videos still shown in schools today. Where the
album first reveals its preoccupation with wasteful bureaucracy and middle/upper-class
misgivings, its still playful: "Trendy Salamanca, trendy
Salamanca; rhymes with something else." There's a subtle humour
at work.
Everything bleeds on. 'The 2nd Intro',
naturally, follows the annoying, while the high society
disillusionment is traced further into 'Mates With Moorilla':
"Sitting in
Salamanca, Sipping a latte,
Outside a cafe, with Brian
Richie
Talking about the arts, and his biodegradable house."
I'm not sure of Upton's intentions here –
it's mostly just low level annoyance at the Art World's equivalent to
"the Man" – but it's worth pointing out that this was all written prior to MONA's opening; and that's mostly worth mentioning in
the context of Hobart 2012's minor backlash against the art gallery
behemoth.[citation needed] Later, 'Friends With Federal'
charts a similar course to 'Moorilla', lined with poker machine
ka-chings! where the latte
sips previously sat.
In the midst of this home produced
electronic pop showcase comes 'Ruining The Mood' and... it's all in
the name. It's a bit of a fucked-up Sci-Fi rollercoaster, changing
the pace for 'Spacious Audacious', a brief track that touches on
indulgent rocketship wank (read: Sonic Youth's '
Providence'). And
indeed, much of this album comes off as reverential satire of the
indie rock canon. One track references the fade-in/fade-out/fade-in-again intro of '
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others', except in the outro; while dialogue concerning "that guy from
the Velvet Underground" etc pops up elsewhere.
The most noticeable hallmark of this
album is its self-effacing humour and reflexivity.
Samuptonamonagroanamysharonadaytona500 is
so deliberately plotted and aware of its virtues, aware of its own
slight silliness and bedroom niche. It never hides song-writing behind
lo-fi gimmick – a commonplace pitfall for this kind of no-budget
pop – and instead chooses to take this self-referential approach.
Making note after note of your own album on your
own album isn't exactly groundbreaking by any means, but it provides
something of a conceptual framework for Upton to play with.
Side 2, Morov Thesame, is almost completely
forgettable. The humour, although still self-aware and toying with
the form, is mostly one-shot. 'Roundup To The Nearest Minute' clocks
in at 59 seconds, while 'Track 4' only exists to inform you that
track four has been deleted. Although Side 1 featured passable,
melodious bedroom pop, Morov Thesame
is just lo-fi cleverisms ad neuseum. The joke isn't funny anymore.
More than sixty
minutes of this sonically limited pop is too much. It becomes wearisome beyond the first "album" and regardless of its excess, Morov Thesame isn't particularly worth revisiting. You could scrap the entire second half of We Make No Apology and present a solid debut. This is bedroom pop to a very considered fault. It is amateurish and sometimes grating, enjoyable and worth engaging.
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You can download a new Sam Upton & The Pollywaffles album for free here.
