April & I... an animated movie

Paul Steel - 'NOT just another singer songwriter' - and thank the Lord for that. In these post-Blunt times it seems any bloke gigging under his real name is a sensitive, acoustic balladeer - omega males the lot of them. But not Paul, the Brighton singer has a healthy obsession with the Beach Boys and some huge, huge ideas that belie his station as a solo artist. Over just under half an hour of ten seamlessly linked tracks we hear every section of the orchestra accompanying layers and layers of vocals. It's as if Paul has all his friends round helping, or at least a Brian Wilson guardian angel.

'April and I' tells the story of Paul's relationship with his real-life childhood imaginary friend April (whom he still keeps regular contact with we hear) and the covers the subjects of suicide, school bullies and honkin' (on his crackpipe). Meanwhile anything and everything is fired at the studio wall and what sticks (mostly everything) sticks. For instance, the classic Spector-esque sound of 'Take It Or Leave It' merges invisibly into the pounding Queen meets Bonkers hardcore of 'School Bully' before seamlessly morphing back to calm and the beauty of 'I Gave Her My Number'. Elsewhere, the lunatic 'Honkin' (On My Crackpipe)' (this crack is pure fuckin' belter man!') sounds like The Small Faces fronted by Elvis Costello covering the theme to The Flumps. By the sound of it, it probably looked like that too.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Paul Steel
• Passion Pictures
• Beach Boys
• animation
• imaginary friend
• XTC
• Withnail & I
• pop
• High Llamas
• Wizard of Oz
• Grange Hill
• Trippy
• Crackpipe

[kalingzeye]

This is insanely amazing.

[LarrytheDuckster]

4:29pm pdt 06/14/11 : Yes... Not only is Steel's music to this absolutely first class, the animation is also incredible. I have to assume the animation was done by Chris Hemming at Passion Pictures. If the listener likes this they'll also certainly like Bell Gardens Labour at the Landmark here at YouTube.