Department Of Biology is the latest album by Anti-folk, anti-heroes David Cronenburg's Wife who have been about since the early years of the Millenium when David Cronenburg's Wife was complaining to him, about using a house across the road from here as the brothel in Eastern Promises, while London's Anti-folk scene was blossoming at the 12 Bar Club. They went back to Onecat studios in South London to record the album with Jon Clayton Recording and producing, with Ian Button finding the time to master the album. David Cronenburg's Wife are Tom Mayne, Mary Boe, Ana Chora, Adam Croucher and Tom Hemington, with help from Thomas Alder, David Woolf, Stuart Saunderson, Ian Taylor and Anna Vershkova.
The A-Side opens with Lot's Daughter's which announces will be the story of Lot told from his daughter's point of view, this is nicely askew, with the fears that god will destroy everything in the town they live in, the keyboards add the edge of fear, set against the sort of bassline that will eventually turn listeners into a pillar of salt, if they listen too many times in a row, so be careful.
Deliquescent In Saltland is a western blasted tale for walking through the salt marches on the outskirts of Skegness, or other romanticized locations where brine is always in the air, while you can stalk the land, dreaming you are an outlaw on the very edges of society.
The Sea has been reached, they go beyond the Saltland and into the sea along that pristine beach, they feel joy and sadness walking along the sand, hoping for adventure with the woman they desire, they get lost in the dunes, trying not to get sand in places sand is not wanted, Casio keyboards shimmering like a calm sea, their hearts beat like rolling thunder with the desire at the songs heart, along with that perfume he can't keep out his head, while one woman arrives at his bed while it's still warm from another almost transposing the Big Sexy Noise song, but with none of Lydia's menace.
Trouble In Freeport has insistent strings and odd keyboards for this reportage on what went down in Freeport and why you should wait for me to call you about it. The Mermaid's Tale has a slow dark western telling of The Mermaid's Tale, this feels a bit like the Willard Grant Conspiracy for how they submit to every wish and desire of the Mermaid, not wanting to miss out on the fun and finding out just how you make love to a Mermaid.
The B-side opens with the brilliantly titled Chekov's Bordello that reminds me of visiting the house Chekov had built by the architect of Buckingham Palace on the outskirts of Yalta, now in the middle of the Ukrainian war, although this takes us down to Minsk and Moscow and through all the places Chekov lived and wrote about, particularly to a visit to a Penal Colony during which Anton paid a visit to a Bordello for some light relief. driven along by the organ sound, this is almost as determined to do justice to Chekov as his sister Maria Pavlovna was in keeping his house intact and safe from the Nazis.
The Novice has a semi classical feel for this tale of a 15-year-old orphan in a monastery and how they find a way top grab a life of their own. This takes us on a deep journey with lyrics that need to be heard a few times for everything to sink into what happens in this circular story.
Mark's Eight Tastes are a weird list of the things he really likes the taste of or smell of, over the dark swirling guitars that accentuate the choices he makes. Where Is She? He is getting paranoid as his woman hasn't come home yet at 2 in the morning, who is she with, where did she go, the feelings and worries, the sense of possible abandonment, the worry she will fall through the door drunk, barely coherent, or is he more worried about memories of eating ice Cream in Buffalo, the travels together, wanting to share those old Monroe Transfer albums that might have influenced the strings section, who is she with, is it another bloke or a desultory woman stealing her away, or is she just in a crack den having a damn good smoke and lost track of time. This feels eerily familiar, feelings for anyone whose partner goes out alone.
The album closes with the slow thoughtful If You Think About It, the chiming guitar and hushed vocals looking back at lives led, adventures sitting in graveyards, explosions in the sky, just two of the things they have on their minds.
Find out more at https://blangrecords.bandcamp.com/album/department-of-biology https://www.facebook.com/cronenbergswife https://linktr.ee/dcwife
