The British rocker Badly Drawn Boy, a.k.a. Damon Gough's released a 15 track new album, 'Have You Fed The Fish?', an odd gem of 2002.
'Have You Fed The Fish?' is raw, strange and honest, a slight departure from the clean and mellow, 'About A Boy' soundtrack and more of a companion to the Award-winning 2000 debut 'The Hour of Bewilderbeast.'
The album starts of with an instrumental track which sound like BDB meets Stereolab called 'Coming to Land' which blasts of like a rocket and fades into the dramatic title track 'Have You Fed The Fish?' in which Damon belts, 'The keys to your heart open the door to the world. You've got to give me two days and, woman, I'll make you a girl.' over a choppy piano melody.
Chunky sizzling electric guitars, desperate vocals, and rolling drums make up the fine rock track 'Born Again.'
'40 Days, 40 Fights' pulsates between a Cat Steven's and Elliott Smith vocal harmony laid on top of a bouncing bass and piano waltz.
'All Possibilities' revisit's the 'About A Boy' sound then take off on a Love Boat adventure filled with brass horns and shaking tambourines.
The calm and folksy 'I was Wrong,' melds into a fun, single 'You Were Right' which BDB, laments the deaths of Frank Sinatra, Jeff Buckley, and Kurt Cobain. The sold out single features two extra tracks 'You Were Right,' Live From Glastonbury and a beautiful acoustic and dreamy B-Side 'Last Fruit'
A brief quiet but groovy 'Centre Peace' interludes to a roller coaster of a song 'How' which jumps around like a Mexican jumping bean as Damon ask's 'How can I give you the answers you need, When all I posses is a melody.'
The intro bass and drums of 'Further I Slide' sounds like it could slip on Madonna's 'Like a Virgin.'
'Imaginary Lines' a funky song reminiscent of Yes.
'Have You Fed The Fish?' a collage filled, witty lo-fi folk rock album, transcending a whole new playground for boy in the wooly hat, to write sweet tender songs riding the roller coaster of life, with his peers Lennon, Bowie, Elliott Smith, and Bob Dylan.
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