ALBUM REVIEW: Culley's brilliant debut
Karl Culley: Bundle of Nerves (album)
THE mystery of Karl Culley.
Such a well-mannered individual, Mr Culley songs so dark and feverish, full of longing, suffering, mania on the edge of his teeth.
Anyone who's seen footage of John Martyn as a young man, rambling incoherently between sublime songs, knows that the artist and the art need not be the same thing.
For Harrogate acoustic singer-songwriter Culley's brilliant debut album, the small team at London-based label Triumphant Sound have constructed the best possible picture of a young man whose complexity is matched only by his talent.
For every dark song (Man In The Shadows, Sand And Snow), there's a light one (Thick As Thieves, Suffering).
For every moment of emotional langour (I'm Not Proud Of Myself, Sap) there's a burst of rootsy, skiffle-punk energy (Elephant Juice, In Her Nature, The Haunting of Karl Culley).
Formerly a lone wolf on acoustic guitar, the addition of exotic instrumentation from extra musicians Giles Deering and Simon Edwards in the form of plucked piano, harmonium, backing vocals, Chinese opera gongs etc helps tease out the warmth that's always been there in the restless hum of Culley's amazingly, nibble-fingered playing on guitar and soulful, occasionally falsetto voice.
What it can't hide is that everything Culley does is double-edged, like Dylan without sounding like him.
A unique voice, a unique talent, Culley is that rarest thing these days - someone worth taking seriously as an artist as people once took Bert Jansch or Paul Simon or John Martyn himself seriously.
There's a hint of the Old Testament about his music on this wonderfully original album, a flavour of the deepest, darkest roots of the blues on that crossroads where the devil and the music met to make an unholy deal.
There's also a sly sense of humour and awareness of how ridiculous life is.
Driven by a mad loop of rhythm forever returning to the same spot, the songs seem so straightforward on the surface yet what a breadth of musical influences.
Not 'blues' or 'folk' or 'pop' or 'jazz' or 'skiffle' or 'arabic' or 'flamenco' or 'chilled out' but all of them and none of them at the same time.
The mystery, and greatness, of Karl Culley.
Graham Chalmers
Bundle of Nerves is released on February 10 and is available on Amazon and Play.com and myspace.com/karlculley
LIVE REVIEW
LOCAL singer-songwriter Karl Culley launched his debut album last Tuesday night in Harrogate's Blues Bar.
The quick-fingered, acoustic singer-songwriter with a hint of John Martyn showcased some great tracks from the Bundle of Nerves album on London label Triumphant Sound as part of his regular Karl Culley and Friends night at the Blues bar in Harrogate on Tuesday, February 2.
www.myspace.com/karlculley
With the help of double bassist Ash Johnson, he also premiered some new tracks, including the reflective, anti-war number The Royal Armouries, scintillating acoustic riff number Psalm and an absolute mini-classic in the delicate, falsetto-chorused, sweet but sombre Bound for the Ground.
Culley's special live guests for the night were Hull duo Nocturnal Flowers and Danny Webster of The Birdman Rallies who also played a typically brilliant set.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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