I was in the posh cheese shop the other day. As I pondered the existential question of whether selling cheese could indeed make you rich when all that was actually certain in life was that buying posh cheese is a highly efficient way to get poor and, in consequence, said poverty might possibly mean that I could not afford Louise Connell’s new album “Client of Suddenness”.
Naturally, as one dedicated to the pursuit of and capture of an economically non-viable record collection, the electricity bill was instead put into a holding pattern so that my ears could be tickled by this album. As one might by now expect of Louise Connell, these ten songs demonstrate a continuing growth in the maturity of both her compositional skills and the song arrangements with all that is here being so much more than just another clicked to the beat album of today. Some might even consider her intellectualised poetry as something of a contradiction to the thesaurus driven mediocrity of the mass market while, as a lyricist, it is undeniable that Louise Connell has furthered her ability to dig deeper than most and, although restraint remains her modus operandi, there is little doubt that she can analyse the ways of today and make some musical sense out of what we, as a whole, have become.
The above may sound pretentious but, if you want more than three minute pop song with a nice haircut, then it is heartening that there are still options out there that make getting older and wiser seem less of a burden and “Clients of Suddenness” is a timely reminder that you can still enjoy music that is more than mere entertainment. As for who gets my money? Will it be Scottish Power or Louise Connell? It will be Louise Connell every time.
Best song: “My Agincourt”.
Verdict: More is indeed metaphorical.