Smoothing Away The Horrors Of Indigestion,
Ye WilesMan, it isn't often that a band like this lot come along. I first heard them about 9 months ago when a mate (the legendary Dave form Half Inch Heroes) placed a copy of their 'Fine Words Butter No Parsnips' EP into my hands and instructed me to listen. After trying to work out what the fuck was going on with this weirdass mix of ska, dirty garage punk rock and a fiddle I realised that Ye Wiles were very special indeed. I also realised that Jim over at punknews.org.uk was the uber-Wiles fan, so I could hardly claim originality. Damn.
Raising a collective middle finger to anything remotely resembling a trend this is their first release on Household Name Records and...it's somewhat good.
The first two tracks are slow, meandering exercises in patience that go by the names of 'The Standard Voyeur' and 'Shuffle #2'. Atypical rythmns and confused ska beats combine to fantastic effect - you don't realise just how enjoyable this music is until your feet start tapping and you begin predicting when that fiddle is going to come in next. Go on, admit it. Punk music with a fiddle sounds silly. But it just works so well, even though there's a voice inside that says it probably shouldn't.
The band rerecorded four tracks from the 'Fine Words...' EP for this album and I'm pleased to say that they sound infinitely better. Obviously the actual sonic quality is better, but there are slight and subtle differences, like different fills and vocal arrangements. This is demonstrated on possibly the best track on the album, 'In Appreciation of Zoltan Kodaly' which is very fiddle-led but equally based around a simple ska chord sequence. I defy anyone to listen to it and not want to dance. 'Screenplay' is also a survivor from the EP and has a brooding quality best expressed by the ominous intro. An explosion of sound follows the quiet opening and the intricacies of Ye Wiles' sound are best displayed on this track, with drums, bass, guitar and layered vocals all interplaying to stunning effect.
'Cry Wolf' and 'Leisurewear' are the two other older tracks, and they showcase the more folky edge to the band. The dual vocals on the former track add weight to a catchy melodic hook and simple riff, before the rapid transition to a faster, heavier final section that is just frantically overlaid on a mystery answerphone message (I must say I preferred the original's "You want to look in the mirror and sort it aaaaaahhhit") .'Leisurewear' contains one of the best lyrics I've heard or read in ages in the simply magic line "Never trust a man in a bumbag" in an ode to not following clothing trends. It's one of the slower, more reflective tracks out of the 13 on the album during the verse sections, all broken up with faster, uber-danceable choruses.
So that's the older stuff dealt with. What about the new ones? Well, 'Rush, Our Faces Follow' has a calming, thoughtful opening before the rising, powerful interludes. This is what Ye Wiles do best - take exactly what you think they're going to do and firmly ram it somewhere else, leaving you constantly surprised and delighted at their musical directions. 'Microwave Meals and Ideals' continues this theme by mixing a more predictable verse with a strange chorus that still manages to be so hook-laden that it resides quite happily in your head for about a week. the drumming rythmns are just...all over the shop, frankly, and however much I love the traditional punk rock rythmsn I really can't stress how good it is to hear something so utterly different and stunning.
I know I've mentioned the fiddle-related aspects of Ye Wiles in passing, but it plays a significant part in the whole album. I guess it's more of a symbol at times, an expression of their imagination. Either that or just a great idea that no one came up with before. It subtitles the vocal line on 'If You Don't Catch The Last Train Home It Won't Happen' and adds a folky, rustic tone to 'Shuffle #3', a sound that I don't think you'll find on any punk rock album anywhere else. I could be wrong, but I'm not that punk so I probably am mistaken.
Just buy it, ok? I can't recommend this album highly enough, simply because I doubt you've heard anything like it before and it's so refreshing for a band to kick the UK scene so firmly up the shitter. I read somewhere that loads of bands like Ye Wiles are springing up around the Tunbridge Wells area (where the YW lot cut their teeth) and am undecided whether this is good or not, simply because one major part of their appeal is their total refusal to sound like anything else. One day all albums will have this much thought put into them.
Ben
