Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Dark humour and pain are often seen as disturbed cousins, sharing a bond that is born out of discomfort and a psychological ache that refuses to beat in a way that would imply expired confidence, a sadness that is overwhelming. There is no avoiding this special connection in life, the only option is to embrace it, to feed the soul with all that comes in the forms of loss, the failure of errant communication, loneliness, broken faith, and even feeling ill at ease when the world is content and your body has no reason to squirm; and like mastering sarcasm, the need for dark humour even in the most trying of times is of paramount necessity.
Such is the brilliance of Dan O’Farrell & The Difference Engine’s latest album, The Fish That Learned To Drown, the essential joy of healing with wit, of observation in the poverty of emotion but employing harmony in facing the hardships, the pain and the glory of tender anguish, that the songs on the album are terrifically performed, they admit to the edge but have a seismic and fundamental refusal to be beaten, to surrender.
Never judge a track by its title, like a book and its cover it is a futile exercise in the indulgence and the unprepared, and as tracks such as Cyanide Desire, Hang Me On The Wall, the fantastic Heartbreak Hostel, Asbestos Love, the especially pointed God Etc., and Goodbye, The Fish That Learned To Drown is an album of soul grabbing musical exuberance wrapped up in the comfort of sorrow.
Joining Mr. O’Farrell with panache and steel on the album are Rick Foot, Chris Walsh, Rufus Grig, Andy Lewis, and Charlie Beuller who plays the esteemed lead guitar part on the album title track of The Fish That Learned To Drown; and it is to this melding of the sense of absolute that carries the whole experience, one that will surprise many by putting an enormous smile on the face of the listener despite knowing the lurking vibe of angst that bubbles underneath.
It comes down to defiance, the denial of wallowing in pain and instead using it as weapon, as a missile that breaks down the barriers of grief and utilises the defences of resilience and passion to their fullest, most deliberate, and enjoyable sense possible. The Fish That Learned To Drown is an unmissable album.
Dan O’Farrell & The Difference Engine release The Fish That Learned To Drown via Gare Du Nord Records on January 22nd.
Ian D. Hall