Who was your favourite character in Wacky Races? While many would have marvelled at Penelope Pitstop’s ability to apply lippy while driving (you can get arrested for that kind of thing nowadays, you know) Mutley was always the man (or dog) for me.
His maniacal wheezing chuckle at Dick Dastardly’s dastardly plans was great. But his anger at things going wrong ("Schuckum-rushum-fushum") was greater.
Easy like Sunday Morning
What may be greater still is the band that has named itself after the pigeon-stopper’s best friend. Mutley have produced a perfect chill out album, ideally suited for idly laying around of a Sunday morning surrounded by Sunday supplements and mugs of warm coffee.
There’s a gallic nonchalance to this CD wich melds together with electronica, cool jazz and a grainy vinyl sound. It’s a kind of Kings of Convenience meets Nouvelle Vague meets Manu Chao sound. And it’s gorgeous.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side
Lyrics are kept to a minimum while the lazy, jazz sounds speak volumes for themselves. In a seductively sleazy song, the sixth track of the album) we get treated to the story of a femme fatale ("She said ‘Take a walk on the wild side/‘Cos my my side is one hell of a ride’"). The tune swaggers along at a slow and seedy pace while synthed trumpets add to the sultry sound.
Play that Funky Music
Elsewhere, the tracks are a little more upbeat and funky. "She rolled on like a snake/Man she looked weird," runs one bizarre lyric on the eighth track before a jazzy piano takes over for a few bars of solo.
While the Ramones introduced their songs with a hasty "onetwothreefour" the Mutley crew are a little more relaxed (and French) about their introductions of "Cinq – six – sept - huit" as whispered by the vocalist.
Weird for Sound
The lyrics retain a sense of weirdness throughout the whole album: "Please don’t kick up a fuss if I ain’t riding a bus" is just one example. "In a basement I did a funky hip replacement" is another. But the award for best strange lyric goes to "On the ebay I put your mother up for display".
The songs, (when in English) are generally about aspirations to get away from mundanity ("I’m living – we’re worlds apart") and celebrate the good things in life ("You act like you don’t know/but you’ve got them diamond in your soul").
Chill Out
The end result is a gorgeous collection of sunny songs. Even the nonsense about public transport and trading mothers on ebay makes a strange kind of sense through the jazzy organs and gasped out vocals.
Listen to this one over and over again. You’ll never tire of it. It’s one of the most beautiful things your ears will experience.
