Play 90 second soundbite of '1947' @ 'CD quality'
Andrew Lips is as nutty as squirrel shit and his music is as compelling as hell! Yep, this loose cannon of an artist, this poetic free spirit, this unrestrained musical enigma, this Andrew Lips is just so bloody cool and entertaining. Lips' real strength is as a wordsmith but he's also got a great way of getting his words across in music. Ok, this isn't musical finesse - this is simply great entertainment that drags you in kickin' and screamin' as you try to deny yourself access, avoid the inevitable and stay sane. Hey, chill - let go of your inhibitions and forget what your music teacher told you - just allow yourself a tiny peek into Lips' weird world - and enjoy!!
Andrew Lips is a story teller, a poet, a biographer maybe. Andrew Lips is a raconteur troubadour stripping music bare and putting his soul on the line as he blurts out his inspired concoction of often frenetic and meter-challenging words to a sparse, almost naive, but homely acoustic backdrop and occasional harmonious vocal support from his 'team' of friends, supporters and helpers, the equally bizarrely named The Fantastic Faghags. His music isn't quite discordant but it borders on insanely-oblique-melodic. Vocally, well Lips tells it like it is on track eleven, 'The Shit Song', when he sings "I'll never write a hit coz I can't sing for shit"! Well actually, I think there's every chance that Andrew Lips could do very well with his songs - he may not be Radio 1 material but I'm sure there's many of the local independents that'd give him air-time - he could just become a cult artist!
We can all learn something from Andrew Lips because, quite clearly, Lips is enjoying himself here and that's what music is about - enjoyment and fulfilment. Give him a decent chance, let yourself into his strange world by having a listen to 'Madeline Went To Devon' and you too could be enjoying his madcap musical antics whilst getting some real fulfilment. Andrew Lips is going about his business in his very own, off-the-wall way and I admire his passion, his work and his sheer 'balls'. 'Madeline Went To Devon' is refreshingly different, it's honest and it's gutsy and I absolutely love it!
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