Bunny & The Invalid Singers – ‘Fear of The Horizon’ (2018)
An old favourite ‘round these parts, the mysterious “Bunny” has spent time in numerous projects (Idiot Half Brother, Whizz Kid, AWSTS) and has been variously backed by The Electric Horsemen and, once again, The Invalid Singers, although rumour has it the latter may be clever pseudonyms for the solo work of an enigmatic Scot from Edinburgh!
Newcomers may be put off by the glitchy trappings swarming around his dreamy, meandering explorations into proggy waters (“Hol’ on, guv’ner, is my record scratched already?”), but they’ll soon become second nature and dissolve into the background the deeper you get in to the album. Opener ‘Eamon The Destroyer’ tosses kitchen sink arrangements of De Wolfe library music, metallic K.O. guitar scrapings, and skronky keyboards into a bubbling cauldron of influences that’ll leave heads scratched and lips smiling amidst sundry chin-stroking.
Sixties’ soundtrack excursions are at the heart of the swinging, swaying fresh breeze parading under the title ‘The Positive Approach of Talkative Ron’, which is as surrealistically delicious as its title suggests, and boasts some groove wordless vocals (and whistling) to entertain fence-sitters.
More glitched backward vocals and loopy utterances snake around the room like an electronic dog chasing its own tail to the giddy strains of the ‘Woman With The Plastic Hand’, which ends with intriguing Carl Stallings nods. Bunny frequently flexes his avant-noise muscles, so fans with Faust or Einstürzende Neubauten collections will drool deliriously throughout ‘Vandal Schooling’, while the fainthearted may enjoy the title track’s Morriconiesque histrionics – tinkling bells, fuzzy freakouts, wordless vocals…it’s all in there.
Bunny’s releases effortlessly travel from noise to naps, occasionally in the same song, but there is always a new surprise around the corner awaiting the discerning listener. While one of his more eclectic releases, it’s always a pleasure to approach new material from an artist who makes us work for our enjoyment and doesn’t spoonfeed us the latest hit parade nonsense. Good on ya, Mr Bunny, whoever you are!
Jeff Penczak
Bunny & The Invalid Singers – ‘Fear of The Horizon’ (Bearsuit, 2018)
