Customer Reviews

A Singsong & A Scrap

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just like every album in Chumbawamba's precious line of gems, A Singsong & A Scrap does not fail to surprise, entertain, or fuel your inner hopeful understanding for sense, and peace.

The album seems to be centered around the unfair workmanship and anarchist principles of the late 1800's and early 1900's. The album cover, as well as many of the song titles and lyrics promote this (When Alexander Met Emma refers to the relationship between Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman, two proprietors of the anarchist movements in said times).

But don't let the theme distract you, if olden times aren't your thing. The lyrics are not dated in the least, and can blantantly pertain to modern day societal greivances, undoubtedly. They reek with intelligence and inspiration, and personally well up the potential anarchist and fighting spirit in myself, personally.

As for the music: Completely folk, and extremely soft in its own rite. Have a listen to the chord progressions in "The Land of Do What You're Told" or the intense vocal arrangements in "Bankrobber" or "Bella Ciao", concerning at least four or more voices sometimes. To me, they require extreme talent, due to how complex and more often than not, brilliantly done they are. This album also has an absense of horn instruments, as well as any satiric lyrics or vocal styles seen in previous albums, keeping up with the folk and "olden times" theme of struggle in an Industrial Revolution type era. This blend of events from the past into today is seamless, and an extremely clever choice at that. Perfect grounds for Chumbawamba to go simply wild over.

It is of course not perfect (as my rating shows), despite all of my praise however. This albums harbors some tracks which seem essentially and supposedly self-referential and knowing in that they wrote them for the sake of writing them. "Learning to Love" is a good example. It seems to me as if they felt they needed to add this overly-sappy and drawn-out track to the list, just to have that type of song on there. Or the bagpipes in "By & By": Although this song is very calm and brilliant in itself, the bagpipes seemed to be added just for the sake of reminding you that this album is DEFINETLY set in times that would inspire this sort of folk music. Clever and effective in immersing you into this era, but a little annoying and extreme in some cases.

This is the perfect album to bewilder your friends. Ask them if they remember the "I get knocked down" song, and band. Then play "William Francis" for them. Tell them it is that same band that performed that annoying song so often 9 years ago, and watch their faces twist. I hope their premonitions about this group will change after hearing what kind of music they can produce smoothly, and excellently: Anything. (As long as it can harbor a message, those sly dogs.)

This is what I mean by variety. Chumbawamba can produce any genre and style of music they wish. As they age, they obviously seem to become more "knowing" of their capabilities and talents, but because they have been around for so long, their repetoire makes for some very different listening material. And A Singsong & A Scrap is a perfect example of this progression of consistent change.

Whether they're attacking capitalism, Christian fundamentalism, or war, Chumbawamba will entertain and inspire you. This mostly acoustic, punk rock-folk cd is a welcolme new addition to the AK Press folk series and a must-have for every activist's cd collection. I especially love "When Alexander Met Emma", a love song about Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, "By and By", which honors Joe Hill, and "You Can (Mass Trespass, 1932)", a song which inspires us all to reclaim the commons, an urgent message in an age of gentrification, IMF/World Bank structural adjustment programs, biotechnology, and resource wars. With its beautiful harmonies and radical politics, this is yet again another excellent cd from AK Press. As always, I look forward to see what they're going to publish next!!!

I'm pretty jazzed to be writing a review of this now that it has seen a domestic release. I heard a few snippets off of internet radio earlier and liked what I heard, but the $25 plus import price tag put me off. Then I bought the CD on vacation in Europe last summer, and it quickly firmed up a spot as the most played purchase I made in 2006. It's a great record, particularly played all the way through. Instrumentation is almost exclusively acoustic, giving it a kind of pseudo-Americana, folky feel. Probably the best track for me is "By and By" which would be my choice for the song to be played at my funeral (even with the lyric mourning Joe Hill, a deceased activist). The lyrics start as follows "Don't waste the days when I'm dead and I'm gone/Wind up the clocks, ring around, carry on" and just keep getting better. There is a melancholy tone to the whole thing, which makes a nice contrast with the pointed lyrics in places. The acapella "Walking Into Battle With The Lord" is just fantastic. Never thought I would hear that kind of thing on a mainstream pop record. I was not a huge fan of CW's earlier albums, as they did seem to be making political points at the expense of sonic artistry. But here, everything gels together in an impressive fashion. Give it a listen. You won't regret it.

the A Singsong and a Scrap sessions is just plain lovely! the songs are quiet and loud, but without being direspectful to the ears, musically.
the songs all have a story of their own and are full of emotion and easy to sing along to. for those whose ears are not racist to a different tune that is smooth and edgy, i recomment A Singsong and a Scrap to you folks!

Describing this group is difficult. Folk, Irish, topical, politically incorrect,incredible variety of styles...and those harmonies! This is a refreshing change for me. I never knew of this group until recently. Now, if only the live import album would be released at a "reasonable" price.Great entertainment. If you expect one particular style of music from track to track, forget about it!All excellent, though.

Chumbawamba has never put out a bad CD, varying only from merely "very good" to "truly outstanding." This is one of the "truly outstanding" ones. The band went through major personnel changes (departures) prior to the recording of this CD. While this is an acoustic work, it's really not that radical a departure from their last CD with the full band, "Un", which had similar instrumentation and feel. Regardless, it's one of their strongest discs. The vocal work, always a strength, is even finer here if that can be imagined, with some gorgeous singing and a capella work. The songs are outstanding, and the lyrics as pointed as always. This is one of the real peaks in Chumbawamba's amazing body of work, and can be recommended without reservation. Easily, it's one of their five best CDs, joining (in no particular order): Shhh, Anarchy, WYSIWYG, and Tubthumper. With an honorable mention to Un.

I had only known Chumbawamba for the song "Tubthumping." Then I heard a selection from "A Singsong and a Scrap" on Folk Alley. It was a combination of Belle and Sebastian and Fairport Convention. I ordered the CD and haven't stopped playing it since it arrived. Wonderful a capella harmonies, clever songs with a labor union theme, and lively upbeat melodies. Who knew? Now, I do!

Always socially concious, and always very poppy despite the dark undertones.
However, this album is a complete turnaround in sound for them, very folky, and they have completley ditched the synths of the past. Some songs like "Fade Away(I Don't Want To)" are a bit lighter than others, but overall the intelligence of the band that performed "I GET KNOCKED DOWN"(There worst, and only stupid song by the way) a decade ago cannot be denied, and the sheer talent is further cemented by doing something completley unexpected.