Have You Fed The Fish?

Damon Gough revels in his unorthodox status. From his quite simply ridiculous stage name to his grizzled appearance that suggests Canadian lumberjack rather than British pop star; from his Monty Pythonesque album cover on ‘Have You Fed The Fish?’ (what is it with the names?), to the straightforward insistence on writing and producing music on entirely his own terms — Badly Drawn Boy is very much his own man.

And his third album reinforces all of this.

His soundtrack to the Hugh Grant movie ‘About A Boy’ propelled him out of a somewhat limited British audience and on to the world stage, but exposure to Hollywood and its many vices hasn’t changed BDB’s approach to music. If anything, it has reinforced his belief that his way is the right way, and he’s quite happy to continue on his own terms. Which is good news to his growing army of fans.

To say that ‘Have You Fed The Fish?’ is more difficult to get into than his previous two albums is a little harsh; rather, the second or third listening allows greater listening pleasure. Gough is one of the most intelligent songwriters around, and demands your attention — witty, incisive, regularly producing a wry smile or quiet chuckle on the face of the listener.

The music may be very different, but as a writer he reminds me of Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall, with his ability to appreciate the lyrics as much as the music.

Take your pick if you’re looking for examples. Be it the title track and the mundane domesticity it discusses, or the slightly left-of-centre ‘Using Our Feet’, Gough is having fun putting this album together — and it’s the audience who benefit. ‘You Were Right’ imagines a love triangle with Madonna and the Queen, but in such a way that he gets away with it quite happily (imagine the response if Eminem had done the same), and makes you a think a little more than your average song does.

‘Bewilderbeast’ introduced us to Badly Drawn Boy; the soundtrack to ‘About A Boy’ confirmed his star status. From there Gough could have gone anywhere; the direction he has chosen is fantastic.

The lure of a more mainstream sound may have been strong post-Hollywood; in maintaining his own sound, he has established a popularity a more mainstream result would not have produced.

That may sound a little confusing; have a listen to ‘Have You Fed The Fish?’, and I think you’ll understand what I’m getting at.