Upping The Ante is the latest album by Mr Vast who are an oddball electronica comedy act, formed by Wevie Stonder's Henry Sargeant and Al Boorman who produced and mixed the album in Norwich and Leipzig, it was mastered by Eric James with Featured guests Juno, Joerg Hochapfel and Pip Cartwright.
The album opens with What's Difficult About Being Stupid a short intro piece with a child announcing the album, that leads into Scatterbrain that has odd semi medieval backing for this poem about drinking the nectar and losing the plot in ways that might get you a role in Carry On the 1400's.
This And that is super speedy electro dance pop, with a dealer hiding at the side of the dance floor offering you This And That, yelps and squelchy noises seem to be how you say yay or nay to whatever it is he's offering, it must have been some speed by the way the tune speeds up and crashes, becoming more mid 90's acid house swooshes, questioning are you this or that or maybe you're the other, but I don't think they are trying other anyone.
The Bench sounds like it is in the chill-out room, but the narration tells us it is somewhere you visit at twilight, meeting the weasel who obviously brings you what you need to really chill out, listening to the burbling background vocals waiting for the weasel's entrance.
Neural Preening has Rhubarb & Custard synth style backing, for questioning of what you did with your principles, that is delivered like Mr vast is a male Karen Finley but less sexual. The keyboard swooshes and extruded guitar parts are oddly engaging.
Ants is a song for our perpetual battle to keep the local army of Ants at bay, set to a cafe jazz piano backing, spectating on that column of Ants stealing your crisps again, he spies on the Ants trying to find ways of living somewhere that is totally Ants free.
I Can't Help It is early 2000's drum and bass meet's nosebleed techno with pitch shifted vocals, sped up to chipmunk speed, a land line phone ringing, hoping to speak to a professional idiot, they should have phoned parliament.
Guess Who opens with soft acoustic guitars, before they ask us to guess where they are, well a nice spacious room with some gentle echo, that is almost Spiritualized inspired. Crumpet Man is a distant relative of Vegetable Man, this has a dank undertow to the beat, while the narration takes us into pre-history a time before Crumpets were widely available, will they find out what a half man half beast creature will put on his or her crumpets, is it cheese or is it jam. Mr Vast then begins to talk seductively about his fantasies concerning Crumpets, while the strings rise up, the cheese melts into the holes.
Upping The Ante has a Casio keyboard feel, with added effects for a curiously wonky tune, the lyrics are surreal and odd in equal measure, they know they never want to go in a straight line. The album closes with The End that doesn't open any Doors, being more gentle piano house, reminiscent of Wez Da Ruler, while he pours out his heart at The End of another album, they are done and ready to go down the pub while he powers down the machines.
Find out more at https://mrvast.bandcamp.com/album/upping-the-ante https://www.facebook.com/p/Mr-Vast-100063766837651/ https://mrvast.com/
