Artist: Adem
Title: Ringing in My Ear
Format: 7" Single
Label: Domino
Catalogue Number: RUG183
Year of Release: 2004
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This particular single was only ever released on CD and 7", and whilst it seems churlish, nay foolish, to point it out, I'm reviewing the title track, and one B-side 'Let me give you a reason'. The proper big fan of Adem would have bought both CD and vinyl. The proper vinyl fan buys the 7" only, and with a look of haughty disdain towards the CD version, downloads the other tracks he's missed - coz it's all digital, and therefore all sounds the same, innit?
Having mentoned the B-side, I'm going to review it first, as it's quite marvellous. There's a great percussive loop running through the whole track, full of those kind of tambourine-on-a-stick-with-bells kind of things you were given to play at school if you weren't any good with a real instrument. This starts and ends the track solo, and at the start it's soon joined by one of the most bonkers sounding flute/tin-whistle combos this side of a Gryphon middle-eight. It all fits together beautifully around a simple double-bass line, and the vocals more spoken than sung which join in later, and low in the mix like The Beta Band, repeating the following:
"I could give you a reason
I’ve got thousands waiting here
I could give you an answer
But I’m not sure you want to hear"
It's so different from the A-side, and most of his other releases for that matter, but it still has the haunting quality of his best stuff, if not with a slightly sinister undertone. You don't get many songs that sound like they could be a threat these days. Still available from Domino, by the way. What are you waiting for?
The A-side is pretty good too. More like the acoustic-riff with stuff layered on top he's famous for (I say famous, but you know what I mean), with the hardly revolutionary subject-matter of a relationship gone bad.
Has a nice line about how she threw him to the jackals, but the jackals were more fun.
In 3/4 time too, so had a waltz around the living room while it was on. Lovely.
