indy cd & vinyl

CHUMBAWUMBA—A SINGSONG AND A SCRAP

Known to most only because of  “Tubthumping,” their one fluke hit about working-class solidarity in enjoying a good time, Chumbawumba have actually been around for over 25 years now, purveying their politically-branded music through the Reagan-Thatcher years up to the present day. Their latest album finds them focusing more intently on the folkier side of their musical abilities, the result being perhaps their finest album ever. Slimmed down to a 4-piece, central attention is now given to the vocalists, with 4 songs even being a cappella. Their voices now stunningly beautiful,  Chumbawumba pull off the always neat feat of wedding deceptively political lyrics to beautiful melodies. Lines such as, “This is the land, the Land of Do What You’re Told/With a little lip service to breaking the mold,” are wedded to pure vocal beauty, as are “”We think that the power is in our hands/’Cos we’re holding the remote control/Pile up the lot and what’ve you got/Bitter-sweet nothing at all.”  The folk tradition is recalled not just in the spare instrumentation (primarily acoustic guitars, accordion, bass, and subtle drumming) and vocal emphasis, but also in the fact that many of the songs center on historical happenings 70 years or more past (“When Alexander Met Emma,”  “You Can (Mass Trespass, 1932) “). As with much great folk, parallels of social injustice between such historical happenings and contemporary times are left for the listener to contemplate. Then again, the group also does an a cappella rendition of the Clash’s “Bankrobber,” which reverses the process by making us see that these modern lyrics can easily fit into the folk mode. The group, themselves, provide the best summary of their work here in the song “Laughter In A Time Of War,” which they describe as a riposte to those who constantly chide them that all of their songs tend to complain, moan and bitch.  With cheery vocals and a light accordion accompaniment, this antiwar ditty contains lines such as “Late summer evening after the attack/Food from the aeroplanes wrapped up in a flag/He went for the money but he won’t come back/Laughter in a time of war,” and concludes with “Funny how it all sounds better in harmony”. On this album, that final line contains the truth of what Chumbawumba has achieved.