Play 90 second soundbite of 'Elephant Juice' @ 'CD quality'
North Yorkshire poet/singer/songwriter Karl Culley's 'Elephant Juice' is the kinda strangely strange song that I'd have expected Donovan, Syd Barrett or Tim Buckley to come up with in their playfully diverse periods. With lyrics that you could write on the back of your hand and acoustic instrumentation that's just about as minimalist as it gets, Culley delivers his song with obvious enthusiasm and cool energy. Starting off gentle and warmly friendly it builds as it develops into a rattlesnake of a song sneakily tasting the air as it prepares to bite you on the arse - you're never quite sure whether it's really serious or just playfully obtuse. But, I do like Culley's voice and I also like the fact that he's pushing the envelope quite a bit. I really don't think that this will be Culley's 'starter for ten'! Culley's unusual take on acoustic music here demonstrates a willingness to experiment and run with an idea; with a decent sounding voice and a penchant for the unusual, Culley sounds like an artist to perhaps watch out for.
'Elephant Juice by Karl Culley has me baffled - I kinda like it but then I kind don't - I can see its merits but then I can see its short-comings - It's irritatingly intangible to me and I'm really undecided about what I truly think. Only time will tell on this one - it'll either take off and be massive or it'll fade away into obscurity - cultishly catchy maybe but count me out, it's over to you to make your own minds up I'm afraid!
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