The Minor Leagues “The Pestilence is Coming” (Data Was Lost 2006)

Frantic and frenetic concept album

This record is an exhausting listen. Not only are there fifteen tracks to plough through everything is done at such pace that after a listen one needs to have a lie down in a darkened room covered in one of those bacofoil capes they hand out to marathon runners.

Everything about this record shouts: “Excess”. Although The Minor Leagues is essentially songwriter and keyboardist Ohioan Ben Walpole there are some forty two contributors on this record (most of them seem to add ‘vocals and handclaps’ to track six but others play ‘gong’ and ‘car keys’ here and there – you get the idea). The nearest touchstone musically would probably be Misty’s Big Adventure but whereas Birmingham’s finest might have dashed this thing of in an afternoon or two The Minor Leagues spent three years writing, recording and mixing the thing. But to what effect? Well its an indie-pop/bubblegum confection that can be quite catchy but can also become very wearing, something like partaking in a Phil Spector musicathon without remission.

The press release for this CD states that Ben Walpole would like to “…fashion the band as Ray Davies fronting The Clash with Phil Spector on production…” which is fairly accurate. Anyone who can remember The Kinks post-pop pre-stadium rock mid-seventies concept album releases like “Preservation Act I” (and “II” for that matter) will have some idea of the mish-mash of ideas floating about here, all creative energy without much focus. It seems churlish to suggest the use of some judicious editing when the artists were obviously trying to fashion something of epic scale but one can’t help thinking that a tighter grip on the reigns might have helped release more of these songs potential.

Date review added:  Thursday, August 17, 2006
Reviewer:  Paul Villers
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Related web link:  www.minorleaguesmusic.com