Material Romance,
Ellis SlaterCall me biased, but for me Ellis Slater, otherwise known as Ellis from The Misnomer, is one of the UK's best songwriters. Forget what the mainstream press will try and tell you about Barat, Doherty and all those other drug-addled morons, there's an erstwhile honesty and passion that I love about Ellis and his songs which makes him one of the best around. This EP, recorded in someone's living room while he house-sat for them, just goes to prove what a talent he is. Stripped down and as raw as you will hear all year, Ellis plays everything and recorded it all himself. The liner notes say 'I don't want to hear perfect anymore' and this EP is rough and ready in a perfect way, ironically.
Each track takes The Misnomer route when it comes to songwriting, which I guess is very predictable. But The Misnomer are anything but predictable and the off-kilter verses and structures are as catchy as ever; if you like The Misnomer you will love Ellis' solo work. 'Hey Man...' is a particularly good track, as offbeat as normal with Ellis even finding room to laugh two-thirds of the way through. The chorus is arguably the strongest he's ever written too.
The Misnomer are criminally underrated; Ellis goes to prove the 'Jealousy Is' EP was no flash in the pan with a solo record as good as any UK solo artist I've heard in ages.
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