Credit: David Whittemore

From the fine folks at Relativity comes an album that has the wealthy potential to restore any faith you may have lost in the current state of British rock. Fishcoteque by The Jazz Butcher is just the remedy for those who have a tenacious craving for ringing harmonies and good, tight guitar pop.

The Jazz Butcher (a.k.a. Pat Fish) is one of the most versatile artists currently writing and recording out of the doldrums of Great Britain. On prior efforts, his music has tended to drift aimlessly into the realms of pseudo-jazz and '60s soul, but on Fishcoteque the Butcher zeros in on easy, folky tunes and dirty pop that owes just a small passing nod to Lou and the Velvets. Fish’s sleek melodicism emerges on the brilliant “Next Move Sideways,” "Get it Wrong," and the moving portrait, "Susie.” The thrash of “Chickentown" and "Looking for Lot 49” counterbalances the overall gentle tone of the record.

The Jazz Butcher dishes out no great promises of hope nor does he hold any lofty goals for stardom (he formed The Jazz Butcher while drunk one evening). Nonetheless, lack of professional aspiration and publicity doesn’t make the results of Fishcotaque any less essential.

Fishcotheque

Having ended up on Creation Records, which I took as a bit of a validation, I was keen to get as far away from all those "w" words that had followed my group around. The sessions were chaotic and funny. What disappoints me is that it came out sounding so SMOOTH and tidy. But I like Fishcotheque; I wish there more records as good as it.

creation_records, Relativity Records