Simon Breed has balls. But his are not your atypical, semi-retracted ‘it’s a bit cold in here, ain’t it?’ cobblers; nor are they of the Liam Gallagher ‘I’m the fucking daddy round these parts’ variety. Nope, Breed’s trouser clackers have been self-sculpted with shattered shreds of glass and left to dangle mercilessly as a reminder of just how much misery mankind can create.
Obviously, this gruesome description is slightly (if not wholly) exaggerated, but to hear Breed’s new mini-album The Filth and Wonder Of is to experience bruising raw emotion exploding from one man’s struggle to fit in to a brutal, uncaring, culture. Recent single ‘Devastating Sky’’s translucent glow has been engulfed by a menacing mist of self-deprecation and all that remains here is five laid-bare tracks cast in alienation, misery and unrestrained rage.
From the first drone of barbarously entitled opener ‘Cunts, Pricks, Wankers and Shits’, Breed creates a wailing canvas of melancholy on which to paint an inherent disdain for all of society’s presupposed inequalities. His Buckley-esque delivery spirals over a juxtaposition of clattering feedback and soft xylophonic chimes, warping you into a place where the bully wins every time. As each track’s brittle layers are unravelled, this tragic theme of a long-suffering outsider abused and ignored by the world prevails – particularly on the compelling spoken-word/wild-west confrontation of ‘Big Brother’ – but Breed’s scrupulous attention to delicate melody transforms any sympathy into rousing sensorial exhilaration.
Ten-minute epic ‘My Eyes Have Seen The Glory Of Your Face’ is the record’s staggering climax. Beginning forlornly like a down-tempo gospel lament, it swoops in to a sonic corkscrew of heart-surrendering synths and tender guitar bristles, recalling the luscious cosmic grandeur of Flotation Toy Warning. He may be awash with self-loathing and doubt, but Simon Breed has concocted a victorious aural spectacle brimming with honesty. The Filth And Wonder Of just goes to show that you don’t need the biggest balls to give the greatest pleasure.
-
8Billy Hamilton's Score