Half Man Half Biscuit - National Shite Day
As you have probably already heard, there's a new Half Man Half Biscuit album out, CSI: Ambleside. While I love the band, I've been hesitant to feature too much of their music here. They're definitely an acquired taste, and while I consider it to be a taste well worth acquiring, it doesn't do to be too forthright about these things. Musical evangelism can be boring. Besides, it's like the story of the boy who cried wolf, but in reverse. I've been deliberately saving my plaudits for when something truly great came along.

CSI: Ambleside is that great thing. Most people who know HMHB know them from their earliest work, the intensely lo-fi Back in the DHSS, and rightly so. It's an essential disc. Most of their releases since then, while they may have matured musically and lyrically, haven't produced quite the same sense of visceral sonic shock of that debut album. CSI: Ambleside recaptures that shock. I don't know what production tricks have been pulled here, but the band sound more magnificent than ever, howling, overdriven and loud.

The closing track, National Shite Day, is Half Man Half Biscuit at their very best. The prosaic, the everyday and mundane are their subjects. Yes, they write funny songs, comical songs, but here it's a humour that's used as a shield against the awfulness of the world. It's music born out of anger, pain and compassion, proudly defiant. Although the detuned guitar takes you back to the band's roots, it goes much further than that. It goes all the way back to performers like Leadbelly. You can see why some people consider this to be the quintessential modern folk music, even though in style it's (experimental) rock. It's the story of our times and the music of our time.

Maybe I think too much about these things. Maybe it's just an excuse to sing along to a chorus with swearing in it. Or maybe it is that damn good.

Half Man Half Biscuit - National Shite Day