The Dead Company - Something

Hear The Track Here

The Beatles Something, it isn't. Let me tell you friends, there isn't much further alternative than The Dead Company (or Jon Bushaway in various guises) although I have detected a mellowing from the man of late, especially with his Zebrabook persona. Still, applying the term 'mellow' to someone like Jon just defies all natural laws because - for most of the many years I have known him - his music has defied all the natural laws too and probably some supernatural ones right back there at the beginning. But that was then yadda yadda...

One thing you can be assured of with Dead Company tracks is they will be different, great different or meh different, your choice. I know that some people would look at me with puzzlement at my continual championing of this admittedly difficult music. Let me tell you it was much harsher back in the day, consider yourselves lucky. Speaking of back in the day, it was great to see TDC member Black Circles reappear on Soundclick in a forum post a while back. Speaking of Sean Boyle (aka Black Circles), Something features the mans talent, and of the very first artists I ever met who was more interested in testing vocal boundaries and used to spoken word to great effect. As you know from TDC collabs with Larry Ludwick, these kinds of tracks are a trademark of The Dead Company from the beginning.

So it's nice to hear some of the original lineup of Jon and Sean, and if you like present day Dead Company, you will find this very familiar. I certainly do but I remember very fondly Sean's contribution to the proceedings, as well - for me anyway - the ultimate grouping of Jon Bushaway, Sean Boyle and Graham High in a short lived collaborative effort. Kinda like a supergroup of the weird if you know what I mean. It made your flesh crawl but was still positively fascinating. While Something doesn't quite have that feel, it's still a piece that will grate on someone with less than titanium ears and nerves of steel. The one thing TDC have always been able to do is perch me right on the edge of my seat.

History 101. Highly Recommended WTF'ry from back in the day.