aaamusic | On 05, Dec 2011

Graingerboy is the electro-pop project of Simon Grainger, a Leeds based man of much musical history. Formerly half of 90s duo Electric Boutique and touring keys-player for A Man Called Adam, he began releasing music (two albums, in fact) under the name of Graingerboy in the middle of the last decade. Taking a break from playing and recording, he started working and, to my knowledge, continues working as a community music teacher working with people with learning disabilities. So props to him…

‘Three Crowns’ is his comeback tune, from his forthcoming (third) album ‘Shadowformerself’ – to be released next year. It’s a brooding, synth-pop number – with the electronics somewhat understated. The programmed drums are urgent but light, the baseline is soothing but sleepy, and the keys are sweet, in a melancholic sort of way.

The lyrics are about Graingerboy’s experience in the Auckland earthquake last year, and are fittingly forlorn. The dark electro-pop music acts as an ideal setting for such a sad story, and from what I’ve heard of the rest of the album – of which Simon Grainger was diagnosed with ME during the recording – it’s an appropriate taster of what’s to come in 2012. Graingerboy’s vocals are pretty decent – the mid-pitched singing sounding wholly 80s, and backed by some occasional piercing wails – but they are not the most memorable part of the songwriter’s setup.

As with most music of this sort, it’s hard not to mention the influence of the big dogs like Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Brian Eno etc, and so…there is that mention. ‘Three Crowns,’ however, contains a slightly sinister, triphoppy undertone – imagine if Massive Attack produced a Pet Shop Boys track, or if Bjork decided to make something a little more accessible.

Check it out on upon its release on December 19th, through Pop Crisis Recordings. If you like Ali Love, you might love Graingerboy….

 

Clive Rozario