Reviews
Artist: Snippet
Album: Slowly Slowly Catchee Monkey
Label: Folkwit
Tracks: 13
Website:http://www.snippetcuts.co.uk
The last time we reviewed one of Snippet's EPs, we casually mentioned wondering what it would be like if he got to do a whole album, well thanks to the team at Folkwit we finally get the chance to find out, welcome to "Slowly Slowly Catchee Monkey" the new album from Colchester's finest.
Johnno Casson, aka Snippet is an artist that comes at you rushing in from the left field, barley pauses for breath before diving into keenly observed songs that demonstrate more than a passing interest in cod philosophy and dripping comments on society. "I Love Your T-shirt" from one of his earlier releases capturing the subtle vagaries of language and using them to great effect.
There's a real sense of poetry about how he puts his songs together, sometimes rhythmically chanted to hold both point and attention at other times delivered with an acerbic almost cutting wit and sometimes you feel he's lucky to get the words out as his tongue appears to be very firmly lodged in the side of his cheek.
That's not to say he's not taking the whole thing seriously, he most definitely is, but life has its ups and well as its downs. "Hiccups" is a grand example. On the surface it's a song about excess, but there's a delightful subplot built of love that twists its way through the song showing where excess can be a good thing.
It's followed by "Man Without Mobile" a song that also has a humorous vein running through it, but one that also reminds us of the invasive nature of the beast and makes us wonder how we used to cope before the damned things came about.
As well as writing the album and doing the vocal duties, Snippet plays and arranges most of the instrumentation on the album, which he layers into a mellow, dance influenced sound, that occasionally borders on reggae and which also delivers much of the mood.
"Slowly Slowly Catchee Monkey" is quirky album one that sits tantalisingly on the edge of description, you think you've wrestled it into a box and it finds one more twist and you're back at square one. It's also a strangely addictive album, one that keeps calling you back to it.
Snippet finally got his album and he filled it to the brim with delight. I wonder what he'd be like with a three cd concept album box set :-)
Neil King