Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Not all instructions are taken lightly, some are full of their own perverse excess, some revel in their perceived importance, and others are so full of drama that they almost border on hate speech, implying that if we don’t follow them blindly then we are guilty of many sins, of being out of the circle drawn, essentially in the dirt with our thoughts and ideas.
Employees Must Wash Their Hands is warning of intent to heeded, and whilst the listener might be tempted to search for the pump and water in which to cleanse their digits and palms, what they should be doing with gusto is seeking out the third solo album of Vinyl Floor’s Thomas Charlie Pedersen; for the sink of deference is overflowing with genuine passion, immense pressure, and one that excels in the joy provided by the talented musician.
Employees Must Wash Their Hands is an album drenched in good fortune, it has the feel of a warm summer’s day on your face and soul, whilst you dangle your feet in the refreshing water that soothes and eases your troubles. It is a fortune of life that the instruction on hand is one delivered with a seamless grin; and whilst the subject matter at times is one of serious encouragement, there is an undercurrent of the narrative of humour, of outstanding wit, coming forth for the listener to enjoy.
Across tracks such as Oh, Whatever, Rains On Saturn, Mass In D Minor, the superb You Can’t Have It Both Ways, and the awesome Beach In Vietnam, the Vinyl Floor player offers direction rather than instruction, and it is one to savour, one to lick the lips and live completely in the moment of.
Thomas Charlie Pedersen’s third solo album is yet another notch in the craft belt of growing legend, a performer to whom the words come naturally and the music is as gifted to the listener as any you might hear .
Rinse, later, repeat, take your time with an album of quality and endurance, Employees Must Wash Their Hands is large, observant, full of colour and a solution to the morass of the day.
Thomas Charlie Pedersen releases Employees Must Wash Their Hands on April 14th.
Ian D Hall