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When you’ve been the founder of an acid folktronica band (Tunng) and half of an alt-psych duo (LUMP, with Laura Marling) it should be hard to remain in the shadows. Still, Mike Lindsay is not exactly a household name – unless you live in a very strange household. The songs on supershapes volume 1 probably won’t change that perception, even though they feature some of the most intriguing music and lyrics released this year. Not many folks are bold enough to put out an album about cucumbers, oak furniture and cookbooks. Virtually nothing is off limits. Lindsay’s album focuses on “the majestic in the domestic.” Lindsay’s fascination for the minutia of modern life should come as no surprise to followers of Tunng, as we remember the lovely sounds of “Soup” getting amped to the heavens after its single mention halfway through the song. While in the past he has dealt with the conceits of the folk tradition and the modern sounds of psychedelia, supershapes is focused on a confection of modern jazz, although it feels downright weird trying to stuff Lindsay’s music into any particular container. There always seems to be bits and pieces spilling out, keeping things from fitting securely. Initially, the top seems tightly screwed on the container of “lie down”: the drums set a beat while the bass adds an additional pulse. The squeak of the sax establishes the ever-present sense of things being slightly off-kilter, no more so than in the lyrics that shift from voices repeating the phrase “Lie down” before focusing on “Putting on the kettle/ Taking out the rubbish/ Eating all the biscuits/ Feel a little sluggish.” Somehow these odd moments become ultimately fascinating against the everchanging musical bed. Percussive influences are on display in “ruins in reverse,” as odd clangs and clanks become an element unto themselves while the saxes provide a counterpoint to what came before in the previous track. There’s an artistry to the way Lindsay is able to reinvent sounds in similar settings without every really repeating himself. He also has a remarkable array of artists working with him. Anna B Savage provides vocal accompaniments ranging from cold and controlled to sounds much freer in design. The breathy sounds of woodwinds and the soft but sometimes squawky saxophones of Ross Blake and Robert Stillman are heard throughout, while Adam Betts offers up a bewildering array of rhythmic possibilities. “table” finds fascination in thoughts of who may have eaten at the old table in his house, evoking uncontrolled fantasies. Lindsay imagines those who have dined there in past decades, wondering about who “Smeared errant gravy off it with their fingertips,” then continuing, “Had all their best friends round it/ Cackles, shouts and showmanship.” Savage’s vibrato keeps these ghosts of the past alive. Finally, Lindsay’s voice comes in amidst the dueling saxophones with the question, “What does the table think of you?” All these thoughts flowing at once suggest that this object has its own life with memories to match. There are so many levels to Lindsay’s work, nothing is quite as simple as it initially seems. He has a way of taking sounds and making the simples ones stand out in the most unexpected ways. Vocally, the same notions are at play; “pretender to surrender” deals (at least marginally) with his cucumber fascination. Halfway through the song, he pauses the proceedings to say, “It’s hard to be excited about the benefits of the cucumber,” before Savage quickly sings her response, “I doubt that.” “two blues” initially feels like something out of an Inspector Clouseau movie, before the keyboard and Savage’s voice take it in a less familiar direction. Her wordless vocals combined with the saxes create a give and take that leads from the slowly and stately pace of the beginning before bouncing the pace up a notch. Regardless of the context, Mike Lindsay seems to find a way to create something exciting and memorable out of whatever parts seem to be at hand. supershapes volume 1 fascinates in its ability to take the instruments at his disposal and create offbeat contexts that mesmerize. — spectrumculture.com
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