FEATURED REVIEW.............................................................18 DEC 2006
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Artist:
RAMSAY MIDWOOD |
Hands down, the 2006 award for "Best Album Title" goes to Ramsay Midwood. We're officially amused. A punning reference to Charles Mackay's Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841), Midwood's Popular Delusions and the Madness of Cows (2006) may not enjoy the commercial success of its eponym, but what the hell. Mackay didn't put much stock in the tastes of the masses either.
The irony, however--and yes, we're using "irony" correctly here--is that while Mackay loudly decried the human tendency to "go mad in herds," he benefitted immensly from that selfsame frailty. By Chapter 13 of Popular Delusions--after discussing everything from "Tulipomania" to the "Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard"--Mackay turns his attention to "The Popular Follies of Great Cities." In Mackay's estimation, foremost among such citified follies are catch-phrases and popular music. (Apparently "Oh! what a shocking bad hat!," and "Has your mother sold her mangle?" were the "Whazzup!" and "I'm Rick James, bitch!" of their day. Seriously. We're not making this sh*t up.)
That Mackay should find fault with the vagaries of popular expression is one thing. That he should complain of London becoming "most preposterously musical" or bemoan the fact that the "vox populi wore itself hoarse by singing," however, is another, for Mackay was himself a songwriter who, according to Cousin's Short Dictionary of English Literature (1910), enjoyed "an astonishing popularity." In his day, the Scotsman Mackay was known for hits such as "Cheer, Boys, Cheer" and "The Good Time Coming" (which, set to music by one Stephen Foster, reportedly sold 400,000 copies in 1846 alone). But we digress.
Ramsay Midwood isn't going to sell 400,000 copies of anything. A pity, that, for his sophomore release picks up where his stunning debut left off. Rough and shambling, equal parts swampcountry blues and tarshack folk, Popular Delusions and the Madness of Cows is a bumpy ride over the gravel backroads of American music. We're particularly fond of "Ringmaster" and "Boxwine Ruth E."
As to cheeze, there isn't much to complain about here. Recurrent religious themes do give a person pause, but with lines like "Alls I wanna do is lift weights and praise Jesus all day" and "I seen your minister wacked on crack," you've got to believe that Midwood is--at least on occasion--taking an evangelical piss. The final track, however, a cover of the schmaltzy "When God Dips His Pen," is entirely devoid of irony. Why Midwood chose to close on this sour, bible-thumping note is not entirely clear (unless, of course, he's climbed aboard the Jesus bus).
Further reading and so forth:
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Ramsay Midwood's debut album Shoot Out at the O.K. Chinese Restaurant (2000), one of the overlooked gems of the past decade, is streaming here in its entirety [REAL AUDIO FORMAT]. |
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| • | The complete text of Charles Mackay's Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841) is online. | |
| • | Midwood on the internets (just barely) and on the MySpace. | |
| • | Popular Delusions and the Madness of Cows at Miles of Music and on iTunes. | |
| • | A few rarities and outtakes available on lulu.com. | |
| • | And, last and probably least, is John W. Cousin's nearly useless A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature (1910). |
In summation: "Praise Cheezus" nothwithstanding, Mr. Midwood's worth the listen. One cheezeball for the holy roller finale.
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A NOTE ON THE RATING SYSTEM:
5 CHEEZEBALLS = UNLISTENABLE SCHLOCK
3 CHEEZEBALLS = A DIFFICULT SLOG
1 CHEEZEBALL = THE ODD FORGIVABLE MISSTEP
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