ARTiST: Dear Reader
ALBUM: Replace Why With Funny
BiTRATE: 188kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: City Slang / Universal
GENRE: Indie
SiZE: 59.15 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 41min 53sec total
RiP DATE: 2009-02-20
STORE DATE: 2009-02-20
Track List:
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01. Way Of The World 4:05
02. Dearheart 3:57
03. Great White Bear 4:05
04. Bend 3:37
05. Out Out Out 3:00
06. Release Me 3:38
07. Never Goes 4:04
08. The Same 4:30
09. What We Wanted 3:51
10. Everything Is Caving 7:06
Release Notes:
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ôI love it here,ö Cheri MacNeil says of Johannesburg, South Africa, where she
and musical partner Darryl Torr formed Dear Reader some four years ago. ôAnd I
hate it here. A lot of the time I feel really alienated. I feel like I donÆt
belong. But neither do I belong in Scotland or England or the Netherlands, where
my ancestors come from. This is my home.ö
Her statement sums up the contradictions at the heart of a band whose debut
album offers on one hand sweet melancholy, escapist flights of fancy and
ôextra-stickyö (as they call them) melodies, and on the other hand a gritty
sense of the complex realities of day to day existence that are reflected in the
enviable intricacies and depth of both their lyrics and their arrangements.
ôWe live in fear all the time,ö she continues, and for once this isnÆt a
melodramatic quote designed to emphasise the authenticity of a songwriterÆs
muse, or a sweeping generalisation about the state of our 21st century world.
That wouldnÆt be CheriÆs style: she specialises in shrewdly observed,
confessional intimacies delivered in a voice of extraordinary clarity and
pristine beauty. ItÆs just a simple statement of fact, a reflection of a place
where, as she puts it, ôour homes are fortresses behind bars with electric
fencing and alarm systems, and there are destitute people begging on every
cornerö. SheÆs not exaggerating: with its 40% unemployment rate, one of the
worldÆs highest crime rates, and a tragic and unmanageable flood of refugees
filling JohannesburgÆs grim housing projects, South Africa remains a country
ravaged by social and economic problems.
But there are two sides to every story, and Dear Reader specialise in exploring
both, as the bitter sweet magic of Replace Why With Funny attests. ôOur country
is also very beautiful in a rugged way,ö MacNeil adds, ôThere are the savannah
parts where itÆs dry and dusty and the natural vegetation consists of thorn
trees and you can see elephants and lions and giraffes. And then thereÆs
semi-desert, where the stars make the sky white, and huge mountain ranges,
tropical forests, gorgeous beachesà It really is amazingly beautiful.ö
Maybe itÆs unnecessary to emphasise the geographical location of where Dear
Reader come from, but they are a product of their homeland, and thatÆs something
they clearly recognise: their relative isolation from western culture means
that, as Darryl puts it, ôit feels as if I am looking at the world from the
outside inö. Their upbringing and environment have shaped the way they see the
world and coloured the way they make their music. That doesnÆt mean, however,
that they are merely a more authentic version of African-influenced acts like
Vampire Weekend or Yeasayer, both of whom sound like nothing like them at all.
It simply ensures that they offer a jumble of influences tangled together in new
and original shapes, familiar but fresh.
Replace Why With Funny is a shiny little pearl of a record and the first thirty
seconds of opening track æWay Of The WorldÆ encapsulate its contrary charms.
Creeping in on the rattle of guitar strings, it skips merrily along a melodic
path honeyed with simple harmonies until MacNeil shatters this short-lived
illusion with an almost imperceptible but universally recognisable sigh. ItÆs an
endearing injection of reality, typical of a band who constantly explore
contrasting emotions, MacNeilÆs exquisitely pure voice offset by the despair
sheÆs expressing, her melodies masking lyrics largely focussed on the break-up
of a relationship, and which she confesses were ôwritten for me, to help me deal
with feelings of loneliness and betrayal and that bitter feeling that real love
is an elusive state only meant for the elite lucky few.ö
So while the album has its fair share of bright-eyed moments, they are, like
MacNeilÆs voice, merely sugaring the pill, acknowledging the fact that sometimes
we actually revel in our own melancholy. Relish, therefore, the contrast between
the French horn, strings and the glam stomp of æDear HeartÆ, as its protagonist
delights in writing her first optimistic love song (ôI never wrote a long song
that didnÆt go æoh woe is meÆö); the sudden burst of Morricone strings and
subsequent Hazlewood-ian twang in æBendÆ; the extraordinary image of the belly
of a æGreat White BearÆ as a hiding place, and the songÆs stirring climax; the
choral epiphany of æNever GoesÆ and its haunting refrain, ôIÆm alone, IÆm alone,
IÆm aloneàö And you canÆt help but admire the frank attempt to address what it
feels like to be a white South African in the brutally honest æThe SameÆ, a song
that pleads for understanding but recognises feelings of conflict within as well
as between each individual: ôPlease donÆt look at me that way / I already live
with the guilt that I own / From my forefatherÆs pastö.
ItÆs a record created in relative cultural isolation û ôsub-Saharan Africa isnÆt
exactly on the map when Arcade Fire are planning a world tour,ö laughs MacNeil û
and sheltered from ephemeral fads û ôwe use the internet to experience bands and
music we love when the rest of the world is experiencing it first hand,ö sighs
Torr. But perhaps these are reasons why itÆs delivered so unpretentiously from
the heart and speaks so successfully to the mind. Because Replace Why With Funny
is bright and breezy, world-weary and wise, and perhaps the most honest record
you will hear all year.
MacNeil and Torr met at an ad-hoc musical gathering and released a first album û
under the name Harris Tweed û in 2006. SheÆd been studying languages and
politics, but Torr û who worked as an engineer and producer, and who before that
had been in bands since he left school û persuaded her to focus on writing and
performing music with him. She and Torr gelled so swiftly that they were soon
heard on South African radio, appearing on South African TV, and playing shows
around the country, even opening for Jose Gonzales. A trip to South by South
West in 2007 awakened new ambitions, but it was a short run of dates in Europe
later that year that led to a crucial creative meeting of minds that brought out
the very best in them both.
ôOn our day off some friends took us to see Menomena,ö MacNeil explains. ôThe
place was packed with people singing along to the strangest music I had ever
heard. After that I listened to their album every single day solidly for three
months, so when we were looking for a producer I sent a myspace message to the
Menomena guys, something along the lines of æI think you guys are geniuses and I
love your music and is there any way youÆd consider coming out to South Africa
to produce our new record?Æ and they replied! I was jumping around and screaming
like a banshee!ö
Thus MenomenaÆs Brent Knopf wound up in Johannesburg in one of the yearÆs more
unlikely pairings. His influence was vital: he helped lead MacNeil and Torr away
from the gentle folk-pop they had so far recorded and dramatically expanded
their musical canvas. Torr admits it took a little while to adapt: ôMy focus was
more about recording the parts as beautifully as I could, whereas Brent was more
focussed on capturing the rawness and energy of the song.ö But such
experimentation soon invigorated them. ôBrent was running around, barking at
everyone, jumping from instrument to instrument,ö MacNeil reminisces. ôHe was
just so into it. We gave him a lot of freedom and let him lead us. I really do
think he is a genius.ö
Between the three of them they have created a record of exquisite poise, tense
drama, witty candour and accomplished detail. MacNeilÆs voice û with its gentle
innocence, syncopated delivery and singular turns of phrase recalling the likes
of Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant and Stina Nordenstam û is what initially
grabs the attention, but itÆs her songs combined with TorrÆs (who mixed the
record) and KnopfÆs wildly imaginative and often extravagant arrangements, the
memorable sonic layering and eccentric details, that keep you returning to its
immeasurable depth.
They take their name from Charlotte BronteÆs Jane Eyre. ôI love the way itÆs
written in the first person,ö MacNeil explains, ôand every once in a while she
addresses you with a ædear readerÆ. I like that sense of connection between
reader, writer and plot. ThatÆs what weÆre interested in when weÆre making
music: connecting with the people who are listening, commiserating with one
anotherö. Replace Why With Funny is just the start of the storyà