Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
We don’t take enough care to the words of the softly spoken, instead we find relief, a sense of belonging in those who raise their voice and allow their mouths to often engage before they have had chance to take hold of the appropriate response to the situation they find themselves in.
Even when the softly spoken and whispered grace has been in the past vociferous, angry, punk agitation, truthful barbs designed to provoke a real reaction from the blind and the wantonly silent, we still find ways to treat the creativity and application of sensitivity with disregard; and it much to our shame and embarrassment that we allow this to take place, that the lone piper, the whisperer of truth is ignored.
Fans of Brian Bordello might be used to the power that his music commands, a resonance of the punk poet, the enormity of refusing to be pigeon holed, a voice that is tremendously unique, but also one that will not budge from the musical opinions he holds dearly. However, for The King of No-Fi, the realisation that the punk ethic, one that is more rooted in the attitude than the aesthetics of the look, the no frills experience is one that has garnered positivity, a sound that is viable, needed, essential.
Don’t make the mistake of believing that a whisper cannot change the world, that the Lone Piper cannot make a difference, for in tracks such as God Bless You Jesus, Banana Splits, The Velvet Underground, Scarlet Blue, the excellent Nostalgia Is In The Air and Motherf****r, Brian Bordello takes those pipes and places them against the ear of indifference and blows the mind of those willing to listen to unadulterated sound on offer.
The King of No-Fi is an album that defies the idea of no contrast, it frames a truth that to listen, you must concentrate, not only on the message, but the way it is delivered. Simple perhaps in the minds of those who refuse to truly listen, a powerful statement secure in its honour, songs that whisper into the megaphone and come out the other side daring you to realise you must invest in joining in the fight against the ones who shout as loud, and as empty, as a tin can. Superb!
Ian D. Hall