Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The Deathrow Disco is always happy to admit one more to the ball, the glitterball revolves serenely around those who gaze upwards, caught as by the temptation of the tinsel, of the gleam that acknowledges that you will steal time, pickpocket the tune of your choice and relish the opportunity to dance like never before, as if your life depended on it.
Following on from an album such as Dandy Punk Prince may be huge ask for some, but for the critically acclaimed Matt Millership in his guise as Ten Sheds, Deathrow Disco is an album of sheer illumination and joy. The Beans on Toast keyboardist is always ready to stimulate the senses, and in this gritty, almost noir like recording, that sense of motivation encourages and prompts the listener to rave in the light provided.
Deathrow Disco knows how to swing, the twirl of the ghoulish skirt and the un-creased trousers leave their punch nestling in the minds of the listener with sincere effect, the feeling of the night is forever young and the tunes ready to blow the roof, and the socks, off the party underneath its frame. Across songs such as Gold Tooth, The Letting Go, Troubleshooter, Sharp Threads and The Picture Book, Ten Sheds reveals the inmates to be set free and to continue their journey to the path of redemption, to the ears of the jury who will find them guilty of causing pleasure and enjoyment.
What makes Ten Sheds’ music appealing is the natural refusal to be overblown, the sizing down of instruments, and in this album in particular it is an audacious choice that works superbly. Less is not always more, but for Ten Sheds the chasm is so wide that it creates its own soundscape where others would see a void.
Hard hitting, absolutely fun and devilish in all the right moments, Ten Sheds hosts the Deathrow Disco with his usual aplomb and sophistication, a performance that leaves you breathless.
Ten Sheds will be performing at Liverpool’s Phase One on December 20th.
Ten Sheds release Deathrow Disco on December 6th.
Ian D. Hall