Missed The 50: John Grant

Missed The 50:
John Grant
‘Queen Of Denmark’
(Bella Union)

Travesty; injustice; FIX. Following The Fly’s top 50 albums of the year in the new issue, it’s time to start playing: “Where the shitting hell is …”. Don’t you just hate those pompous, bloated little fools who need to throw in their two pennies worth? “Where’s The Soft Pack?”, “You’ve forgotten about The Coral!”, “You morons don’t know music, how can Grinderman not be included?”, “Eels, you durrbrain!”, is what they shout, huddled fully-clothed in the shower trying desperately to cleanse themselves of the foul stench of righteousness. Now, I’m in no way one of those people, but – c’mon Fly writers! – how did John Grant not even sneak into the Top 50 with ‘Queen Of Denmark’? (Ok, I admit it, the other albums were mine, too. I have a problem, all right?).

Having received blanket rave reviews and stamps of Instant Classic branded on it upon its release, ‘Queen Of Denmark’ has still remained below most people’s radars. All the praise was justified. The former frontman of The Czars has created the most gorgeous, contemplative and, at times, whimsical, album out of unbelievable levels of self-loathing, bitter heartache, failure and drug abuse.

After The Czars spilt in 2004, following the release of their fifth album ‘Goodbye’ (check out the acoustic version of ‘Paint The Moon’ in the video below), Grant all but gave up on music, moved to New York, studied for a certificate in Russian medical interpreting and worked as a waiter.

The Czars ‘Paint The Moon’ acoustic version:

With his self-esteem shattered from years of bad relationships, aforementioned substance abuse and the failure of his former band, it took the Texan group Midlake to persuade Grant he should record a solo album. And ‘Queen Of Denmark’ is the stunning result.

Midlake were so committed that, despite being in the middle of making ‘The Courage Of Others’, they became Grant’s backing band and invited him to their recording studio in their hometown of Denton.

It’s an album that’s steeped in the 70s soft-rock with which the Texans are so accustomed. Special praise needs to go to Paul Alexander’s basslines and the superlative drumming of McKenzie Smith. The whole album sounds like the work of a great session band, the likes of which Bob Dylan used in Nashville on ‘Blonde On Blonde’, and ‘John Wesley Harding’. It’s the drummer of those sessions, Kenny Buttrey, who Smith most reminds me of, with his loose and limber playing and extravagant fills (go listen to ‘Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again’ to hear Buttrey at his best, or in the video below, and compare it to Smith on ‘The Trials Of Van Occupanther’ and ‘Queen…’).

Area Code 615 ‘Stone Fox Chase’:

It may now gall Midlake that all their effort with Grant has produced something more magical than they managed on their own album (‘Courage…’ made it into The Fly top 50), excellent though it was.

Anyway, enough of the rambling and on to the music: Grant’s redemptive outpouring of all his demons and terrible experiences could have made ‘Queen…’ a thoroughly morbid and depressing listen. It tells you everything you need to know about his songwriting that instead it is wry, honest, insightful and filled with a gallows humour that counterbalances all the pain.

Opener ‘TC And Honeybear’ sets the tone immediately, with shifting, complicated arrangements creating a lush soundscape. And then there’s the voice; that voice. It’s a rich baritone that lifts every sentiment to heartbreaking proportions and wrings every drop of emotion out of each word. There’s also the flute and swooning, otherworldly female backing singers adding even more layers. The lyrics tell the story of Grant meeting a man, falling in love and the inevitable destruction of the relationship, more than likely caused by his crushing insecurities. It is tremendously sad and handled with expert sensitivity; it also sums up the polar opposite emotions that form the album. Yes, it’s sad, but it’s also beautiful and somehow optimistic despite itself.

‘I Wanna Go To Marz’ starts like ‘Forever Autumn’ from Jeff Wayne’s ‘The War Of The Worlds’ and basically just lists sweets, “Bittersweet strawberry, marshmallow, butterscotch”, but it manages to evoke the innocence of childhood before life fucked him up.

John Grant (feat. Midlake) ‘I Wanna Go To Marz’:

‘Where Dreams Go To Die’ examines the folly of building an image of a lover as a lifesaving fantasy figure, instead of seeing the reality of just another flawed human being. “Baby, you’re where dreams go to die, I regret the day your lovely carcass caught my eye”, is a typically bittersweet example of Grant’s lyrics throughout the album.

“I wish that I had the brain of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, so that I wouldn’t have to deal with all this crap,” is another one, on the ragtime, and downright jaunty, ‘Silver Platter Club’.

On superb closer, and title track, ‘Queen Of Denmark’, Grant amps up the anger and sarcasm. “I hope you know all I want from you is sex, to be with someone who looks smashing in athletic wear,” he croons witheringly.

There’s also the hilarious sci-fi metaphor ‘Sigourney Weaver’, the lovely ‘Caramel’ and the crunching centrepiece ‘JC Hates Faggots’. And that’s without mentioning the other four superb tracks.

It is an album full of dreamy melodies that nod to a love of The Carpenters, with touches of Scott Walker and Randy Newman thrown in with all the synths, plaintive piano and weird 70s sound effects. It’s a hugely effective break up album, and so much more. Grant scrutinises all the pain, regret, fear and insecurities of his life with an unflinching honesty; it’s no wonder he had to check himself into a clinic because of suicidal thoughts after finishing it.

In the hands of a lesser artist, ‘Queen Of Denmark’ would have slipped into saccharine sentimentality and self-pity. The fact that Grant reflects upon the carnage of his life with such a lightness of touch, and mirth, is just one reason why he should have a starring role in any album of the year list; including The Fly’s.