Benjamin Shaw is an alternative idol in waiting. His debut EP, the gloriously titled I Got the Pox, The Pox is What I Got, sees brief vignettes of almost unbearable sadness crafted into beautifully composed, darkly humorous lo-fi. But, as Shaw demonstrates, low fidelity doesn’t necessarily suggest a lack of ambition. Each scratch, each crackle, each second of tape-stretching noise is perfectly judged, and blisfully restrained.
Recalling Nick Drake, early (but significantly less whiney) Bright Eyes and his beloved Sparklehorse, Benjamin Shaw’s debut is intensely literate in every sense; it is lyrically accomplished, but also demonstrates a deep musical understanding. Benjamin Shaw gets ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ turns out to be.
Here, Shaw talks us through Sparklehorse’s Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot – a record that is particularly important to him.
The small northern town in which I grew up was many things, but what it wasn’t, was a magnet for record shops. Or even record fans for that matter. Most Saturdays I would slouch into the main shopping area, stare blankly at the ill-fated shelves of Woolworths and John Menzies, and receive not the slightest of thrill in return. Not even a tickle. And having exhausted the consumer possibilities, slunk back home to drink tea and watch the football scores come in on Teletext.
There were just two occasions on which this redundant ritual paid off. The first was, rather life-changingly, ‘All the Aces’ by Motorhead, my first record. Quite something I’m sure you’ll agree. But the second, and that which we’re here to talk about, was found in the Bargain Bin of Menzies in 1996 I’d say, for £2.99.
I was obviously first attracted to Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot by Sparklehorse by the now slightly cliched ‘90s Indie Rock’-ness of the artwork. The torn edges, the scribbled over Type-Writer lettering, and that daft, leering clown face. All perfect for a ‘missed Grunge by a couple of years’ idiot like me. I can’t count the amount of albums I’ve been lured into buying over the years just because of this very trick. The listening though. The listening was what done it.
I think it was the first time I really noticed things in a record. The way it had been recorded; the imperfections in the playing and singing; and that dusty, scratchy sound like a radio between stations, were all part of this record. And it was exciting. Before then, I had only known high-fidelity recordings, where even the most abrasive of records (see: Motorhead) had been produced to great quality, ironing out as many imperfections as possible along the way. Vivadixie… actually took this hiss and crackle and feedback, and made it part of the instrumentation and an integral part of the song. It seems daft and simple now, by today’s technology, but there’s a moment on the last track ‘Gasoline Horseys’ where halfway through, it sounds like someone swaps the vocal microphone mid-line, and the voice changes volume and clarity completely, for no reason! But it works just beautifully. I found these things so inventive and bold. It was quite a breathtaking discovery for Junior here.
And then there’s the songs. The songs! Some of the sweetest, darkest songs you’re ever likely to hear, roll into your head like a fresh litter of blind mongrel pups. With cute runny noses. Rainmaker; Hammering the Cramps; Someday I Will Treat You Good; Most Beautiful Widow in Town. The songs are better even than the titles.
It’s been many years since I first loved this album, and it continues to be something I listen to and love to this day. Mark Linkous, the sole member of Sparklehorse, once said that with this album he wanted to create a pop music version of Tom Waits’ Swordfishtrombone – well I’d like to think that one day I could create a Lancastrian Miserablist version of his Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot.
I’ve been trying to rip off this album for years. Hopefully I’ll get close one day, so I can move my obsession onto someone else. Next stop: Lemmyville.
