Have You Fed the Fish

Redemption was hinted at with the About a Boy soundtrack, and now it has finally arrived with his second full-length album. Have You Fed the Fish? is where Gough drops the mask and reveals the George Martin-ish studio wizard that was always lurking beneath the knitted cap. Listening to this album always makes me think of Sam Rockwell's tranformation in Charlie's Angels from a shy and hapless computer geek to a hip-swivelling superstud. This is Gough's coming-out party, the definitive shedding of the slacker's skin. This album is perfect, and I mean PERFECT. Its sheer greatness may be, ironically, why it isn't selling well -- people liked Bewilderbeast because it seemed within their reach, and Gough seemed like one of them, shambolic and underachieving. The confidence, even arrogance of HYFTF is downright startling from someone who was supposed to be a gentle hippie, and I can see why some people would feel betrayed.

In short, this is a post-fame album, and post-fame albums are notorious for leaving the fans behind. The Smiths and Belle and Sebastian both annoyed their pimply fanbases by ceasing to write about THEM, the sadsacks and the drudges, and all the other lonely people, in favor of soulless record executives and other celebrities. Gough initially seems to be going down the same dark country road, even starting the album with a dorky sketch where airline passengers are alerted to a cloud that "looks just like Badly Drawn Boy." Later, he boasts about being "fancied" by Madonna in "You Were Right." But somehow, all this self-reflexivity doesn't seem like boasting. This is just speculation, but it seems like this entire album is written to a wife or girlfriend who he momentarily drifted away from, maybe tempted by the blandishments that Madonna represents, and then came back to with renewed love after losing himself in his own ego ( "See her / Tell her / She is still on the agenda," is the epiphany he has in "Finding Our Feet." ) There are many break-up albums out there, but this is one of the few to capture the unbridled joy of getting back together.

It's also just one of the most perfect song suites since Abbey Road. I can't think of a single moment that isn't crucial to the entire experience. It may take people a while to get over the sweet Starbucks blandness of Gough's debut, but this album is not only rushier, but more loveable and wise. If this is how Gough handles fame, he'll be around as long as Dylan.

Have You Fed the Fish sounds like Badly Drawn Boy's struggle to return to the experimental style of Hour of Bewilderbeast while still retaining the poppy sound of About a Boy. Quite frankly, this is exactly what went wrong with the album.

After an intriguing opening, the title track kicks in with something that rivals REO Speedwagon. Is this good? That's a matter of preference, I guess, but then again, I choose not to own any REO Speedwagon records. 40 Days and 40 Fights is like a Troma film- It's entertaining... sorta. The second to last track What Is It Now is possibly the blandest song to be on a BDB full length.

However, some of the album's highlights are simply incredible tracks. The two punch of I Was Wrong and You Were Right will be the first to catch anyone's ear, particularly with it's American Pie-ish lyrics which I won't reveal here. Centre Piece provides an instrumental that's too good to be passed off as filler. How?'s constant tempo change takes some getting used to, but it is worth it; and the closing track Bedside Story may possibly be the best last song on any LP period.

Personally, I really tried to find this to be a great album; the proper follow-up to Bewilderbeast. With each listening, I liked the good songs more and more, but hated the bad ones even greater. My final verdict was determined when, after listening to Fish, I popped in Hour of Bewilderbeast and realized that Fish just doesn't simply compare to the brilliance of Badly Drawn Boy's 2000 full length debut.

The overall mood of this thing is light and celebratory, but also sweet in many places towards that special someone. At certain times, it feels a bit unhinged, which is why I can only give it 4 stars. It comes across as slightly unfocused in some places, overly eccentric even, but maybe that's what we're going for here. (Hey, it worked for the White Album, I guess.) It reminds me a of the eclecticism on the Super Furry Animals' most recent release.

Also, I know BDB's real name is Damon Gough, but any relation to Robyn Hitchcock? If not, they are certainly related vocally.