A fantastically diverse collection of alternative tunes ranging from acoustica to rock stomper. This album is an act of love, with a good many laughs in the process of making, though the subject-matter of most of the songs is stark and sometimes shocking.

14 MP3 Songs
POP: British Pop, FOLK: Power-folk



Details:
âA quintessentially English singer/songwriter whoâs surely a kindred spirit of our best mavericksâ (Whisperin & Hollerin)

For years, erstwhile egg-man, MPâs assistant and bed salesman Glyn Bailey, played a supporting role in bands from his UK Lancashire base. He moved centre stage in 2005, with the launch of debut solo album âTOYS FROM BALSAâ.

After generating interest from underground media ("15 tracks charmingly catchy and twisted throughout" Glasswerk.co.uk), subsequent gigs included notable supports for Vincent Vincent and The Villains, Hafdis Huld, Whiskycats and others.

2007 brings a new album 'SONGS FROM THE OLD ILLAWALLA', fashioned from the same eclectic soup of Baileyâs life experience. Citing his influences as Nick Cave, David Bowie, Jacques Brel, Divine Comedy and Lou Reed, doesnât tell the whole story. The cliché âimpossible to pigeonholeâ often used but so rarely true, genuinely fits here, though try to imagine alt-folk-pop subjected to several degrees of perversion and youâre coming close. Bailey bends it with the best of them, capturing lyrically whatever he finds moving or disturbing, the music perfectly reflecting his chosen direction.

All of life is here, or at least the darker sideâ¦
Opener âYahoo!â is a spaghetti-western inspired swipe at big corporations and their threat to the planet, a theme thatâs echoed later in the haunting âDoomed Ship Allegoryâ. Contrasts range from the heartbreaking âGloryâ, to the Beach-Boys vibe of âDown Amongst The Livingâ, with âGhostâ even providing a potential hit pop single.

Things can get weird too. âKafkaesque Worldâ goes under the skin of a torturer. Thereâs coercion and abuse in âGroomedâ, and a local news headline (Lifetime ban for clown pervert) provides subject matter for âThe Clownâ. The FIFA soccer World Cup Final is revisited for a rousing âZizouâs Big Dayâ, before stopping off for an uncomfortable âSchool Reunionâ. âThe Crowâ conjures a fairytale battle, whilst âMoonwalkersâ pays homage to the Apollo lunar astronauts. The album concludes with the tale of American singer âDeanoâ, an 8 minute epic sustained by Baileyâs excellent narrative instinct.

Gigs are currently being booked for March-June 2007 to promote this new album 'SONGS FROM THE OLD ILLAWALLA'.