Secret Meeting score: 80
by Philip Moss
Anyone who’s bared witness to Richard Dawson in the live setting will be testament to the cacophony of madcap laughter he brings to the party. On his third record with Welsh avant-garde muso, Rhodri Davies, which also sees contributions from Sally Pilkington and Dawn Bothwell, the newly formed quartet ensure there’s once again no lack of serious tomfoolery.
Opener, Love Time Feel, is an off-kilter mix of proggy flange guitars, wobbly xylophones and tickled percussion which, despite feeling like it’s struggling to wade through quicksand, sets the record’s journey up perfectly. Lead single, Problem Child is perhaps the straightest ‘indie’ tune – riding fuzzy guitars that are topped off with Dawson’s most overt demonstration of his Geordie accent in its falsetto chorus. While Sky Burial, is a blurry blend of floaty, late-period Belle & Sebastian-esque pop.
Pinning down Welcome To Hell are its motorik drums, over which screeching, repetitive vocals evoke Cate Le Bon contributions to this year’s Drinks album, Hippo Lite. But, perhaps the most experimental section of the record is its middle run: Gwae Reged o Heddiw features a child’s voice over dull organs, Dyma Fy Robot sounds like Kraftwerk in need of serious re-wiring, and Tiny Witch Hunter blends shades of Bjork in a chance meeting with Pinky and Perky, but in the best possible way that could be imagined!
Yes, it is certainly a hard record to pin down, but it’s magical one all the same.