Crystal Grenade - Lo! And Behold
On
“Lo! And Behold” Carol Hodge takes a gargantuan step away from her
roles as lead singer of Manchester punk band Wrecks and backing vocalist
with Steve Ignorant’s acoustic project Slice Of Life. This is Carol’s
solo project – possibly ably assisted by the mysterious survivor of the
1890’s freakshows, Crystal Grenade…..
The
press release for the album describes Carol Hodge as “the most infamous
seven-fingered pianist in the UK”, and the Crystal Grenade character,
the sub-minute circus intro “Welcome To The Freakshow” and a lyric from
the first ‘proper’ opener “You Could Have Lived” (“I Saw The Web
Between My Hands Turn To Gold”) outlines her hand deformity for what it
is and leaves us to get on with the rest of the album. The
aforementioned intro is the only track to feature a full band – with a
couple of exceptions where subtle strings are added to the pieces, “Lo!
And Behold” is distilled to the pure essentials of vocals and piano.
Hodge’s
vocal simultaneously conjures associations with Patti Smith, Tori Amos,
and occasionally Cyndi Lauper. The songs and delivery evoke a
bleak, emotive, musical cabaret – in its heightened state resembling
more the acts of the Weimar Republic than the 1892 circus tours. This is
an earnest collection of tracks destined for the grand stage – and as
such I admit is outside of my usual comfort zone – but the craftmanship
of the compositions and the enlightening turns of phrase turn this into a
grower for the likes of me, and compelling for those listeners who are
more in tune with singers who project their emotion demonstrably.
“Lost
For Words” , “Shape Of Things” and “Nothing To Do With Me” are the
jewels of the album – “Shape Of Things” in particular is deliciously and
humorously darker than the darkest opaqueness. You can’t get much
darker than that I suppose. As much as the album captures that stark
live feel, I would guess that the full force of what “Lo! And Behold” is
capable of is within an attentive theatre – and that the album should be a taster for the most expressive of live shows. Review by Lee McFadden
AVAILABLE AT GONZO:
 | Lo! And Behold CD - £9.99 |
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