Hot Chip's Joe Goddard releases his solo debut offering before returning to the 9-5 early next year. Unfortunately it's a mostly forgettable collection of wilfully difficult, largely instrumental bedroom electronica.
There are musicians that are happy enough to spend the break between touring and the next album just sitting on their backsides and eating Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes at 4 in the afternoon in their pyjamas. Then there are musicians like Joe Goddard, who has not only co-produced a highly successful pop album (Little Boots' 'Hands') since the release of the last Hot Chip record, but has even managed to squeeze in a solo album of his own.
It's obvious that Goddard is one of the driving forces behind the electropoppers, but that doesn't always mean that a musician is as impressively creative without the stabilisers of his bandmates. Unfortunately, that's true of the fruit-themed 'Harvest Festival', too. At almost an hour long, it's clear before the first note is struck that Goddard is indulging himself here; his usual ear for snappy pop tunes with catchy choruses is replaced by long, rambling electronica doodles, some of which sound very distinctly pieced-together on an amateur program.
But that's being slightly harsh on the Londoner, too. Although songs like 'Tinned Apricot' and 'Mango Chutney' hold little appeal for the casual listener, Goddard's technique of allowing the beats and notes to stutter and fall into each other, creating an almost blurry haze of sound, is impressive, if slightly headache-inducing. At some points, French producer Mr. Oizo is called to mind, especially on the repetitive patterns of 'Pear-Shaped' and 'Strawberry Jam'.
The best song is undoubtedly 'Lemon & Lime (Home Time)'. It's one of only two tracks that Goddard sings on, and is less dense, less manic and an altogether nicer listening experience, while simultaneously evoking images of early morning London dawns. It makes you wonder whether this album was a missed opportunity for a man with plenty of ideas - or perhaps one he just needed to get out of his system.
