Paul Molloy - The Madmen Of Apocalypso

 

It is hard to believe that the splendid debut album from Paul Molloy, The Fifth Dandelion was four years ago. You can read our review here. Since then, The Coral has taken up a lot of Molloy's time, so it is delightful to finally have a follow up.

The Madmen Of Apocalypso is different to that debut, just as melodic, but not as Psych Pop and more. There is much more Pop here, influenced by a myriad of styles. For instance, Apocalypso is a calypso, all Brass and swing, wonderfully if a little surprisingly.

Luxury Bunker is more vaudeville, Music Hall like, but also contains Spaghetti Western Brass. So that's the two singles dealt with, what about the other nine songs. Well, Hey Nancy is part McCartney Piano Pop, part Ukelele thirties all together now fayre.

In similar fashion, Doomsday Bottle Of Wine is pure Ragtime and Apocalypse Rag is something that you might expect on a Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band album. Little Green Man is pre Beatles 60s Pop, a little Larry Parnes prodigy with a Joe Meek keyboard run.

There is still Psych Pop on show. Dolly The Sheep is splendidly so, whilst Absent Friends is all together now strumming 70s Pop Rock. Silicon Valley is singer songwriter American and Artificial Intelligence returns to the Jeeves And Wooster territory.

The album is described as a musical satire and I get that, but there is a real pop sensibility here that crosses across a century. It leaves you realising how much great music there was before Rock and Roll. Wonderfully performed and arranged, The Madmen Of Apocalypso is something that you couldn't imagine being in anyone else's hands. Magnificent!

You can buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl and CD. You can listen to all 11 songs here. It is also available on the links here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2020 : Top 10

01 The Corner Laughers - Temescal Telegraph       IDHAS Review

02 Derrero - Time Lapse       IDHAS Review

03 Spygenius - Man On The Sea       IDHAS Review








04 Tugboat Captain - Rut       IDHAS Review

05 Chris Church - Backwards Compatible      IDHAS Review

06 Ward White - Leonard At The Audit      IDHAS Review








07 Paul Molloy - The Fifth Dandelion        IDHAS Review

08 I Do You Do Karate - One Last Job In Mexico        IDHAS Review

09 Davey Lane - Don't Bank Your Heart On It        IDHAS Review

10 Custard Flux - Oxygen        IDHAS Review






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Paul Molloy - The Fifth Dandelion

The Coral, as well as cementing their own reputation, has become a sort of Wirral Motown. As tentacles spread far and wide, the band are fast drawing up a Family Tree. Bill Ryder-Jones, Ian Skelly and now Paul Molloy have all taken slightly linked but very different solo directions.

Guitarist, Molloy may have provided the best album of the all. No stranger to the scene after spells in The Stands, The Zutons and his current venture with Skelly in The Serpent Power, the album was recorded in a two year period, during which both of his parents died.

With this in mind, you might expect a reflective, maybe morose, affair. There is none of that. This is a joyous album of glorious Psych Pop. It is very 60's in feel, but that Psych whimsy rings out in what has been a fantastic revival of the genre over the past couple of years.

The Fifth Dandelion has much in comparison with the current Medway led sound, but there is also great Pop bursting to get out and at other times, the album borders on Toytown. The only time that the album gets anywhere near The Coral is the Lounge Folk of Bring In The Night and that has a real Psych close.

Salad Days is great Glam Rock, almost Gilbert O'Sullivan, it is outstanding. Dungaree Day is Small Faces meeting The Beach Boys. The Return Of Cherry Pie could be Prime Time Pugwash and contrast all this Pop to the early Pink Floyd vibe of From Venus To Pale Blue.

The Swamp is in Bossa Nova Sci Fi Movie territory, Andromeda is almost Orgone Box and My Madonna is splendid Baroque Pop. The closer, Talacre Lighthouse, a place that I know only too well, is perfect Medway Folk.

Paul Molloy has served up one of the surprises of the year. An outstanding album that offers up a wide range of variety. It will be high up in the End Of Year List, if not the toppermost. You can listen to and buy the album everywhere.


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