Sly Hats - Liquorice Night (Album)
As captain of both The Crayon Fields and The Sly Hats, Geoff O’Connor's efforts are enough to make the best of us feel perfectly inadequate, and at moments like these, hopelessly inarticulate. To say that anything even remotely melodic O’Connor turns his deft hand to, turns to gold, is no exaggeration, and now with his latest offering Liquorice Night, he’s all set to dazzle us yet again.
But where last year's little gem, by The Crayon Fields, Animal Bells, glowed sublimely, The Sly Hats debut LP, Liquorice Night, sparkles blindingly. Quirky, precise and witty, O’Connor roams throughout the realm of lounge, calypso, pop and back again to create something truly surreal. Described as ‘60’s baroque pop soaked in Calypso’, one marvels at the imagery such a brew might call into existence - while Animal Bells drowned us in honey toned harmonies, the inclusion of female vocals on Liquorice Night adds the strange glimmer of a 1950’s dream.
But that’s not the only majic driving this dream; a penchant for home production and a gift for sharply hewn percussion and vocal stylings that’s truly something to behold, will convince even the staunchest of realists that O’Connor and his merry band have taken up residence in their loungeroom to share their wares. Deceptively sparser than previous efforts, the instrumental credits range from cello, chimes, piano, organs, glockenspiel, octagon, guitar and thumb piano amongst others. For those of you who’ve dismissed this one as merely a solo project and the Sly Hats as an after thought to The Crayon Fields, it’s time for some serious re - assessment, Liqourice Night is a reflection of O’Connor’s dedication and meticulous attention to detail with continuous re – arranging and re – recording of the 11 songs over a period of 6 months. Proving it harder still to relegate it to the position of second fiddle is a collective guest list including, Jono Edmonds (You Will Die Alone, Midstate Orange), Jessica Venables (Jessica Says), Max Kohane (Agents Of Abhorrence), Ellen Carey (Birth Glow), Jarrod Zlatic and Nisa Venerosa (Fabulous Diamonds) and playwright Anna Barnes. With a work this wildly imaginative starring a cast of the curiously talented, any speculation of future works seems relatively futile, however it’s interesting to note that this time it’s Remote Control and Inertia who’ve caught the ball on the O’Connor franchise.
Personally I’ll just be happy when the man starts issuing shares – anything this intensely original has got to be worth it’s weight.
