 “Taxi!”
“The road to enlightenment please. And I want to stop for egg and
chips on the way…”
Wobble’s latest album takes us on a slightly autobiographical journey,
partly inspired from writing his memoirs. “Alpha-One-Three”
was Wob’s radio call-sign during his sabbatical’s as a mini-cab
driver in the Eighties; when quite literally the wheels came off his musical
career. How things change. Every year sees him become more and more self-sufficient
and separate from the “Dark Society". This album has him taking
things to logical extremes by writing, performing, producing, and engineering
the whole thing himself. 30 Hertz is the Good Life.
‘Alpha-One Three’ has a vibe reminiscent to a ‘Without
Judgement’ Invaders of the Heart. Dramatic in places, but with a
laid back – dare I say – summer feeling, laced
with choral vocals. Working on his autobiography inspired many of the
lyrics. Evocative images of desolate council estates and suburban gluttony
are mixed with tongue-in-cheek tales of record company debauchery. And
ultimately, death. Full circle.
The vocals and lyrics can be raw, even awkward in places, but this helps
give ‘Alpha-One Three’ its characteristic, human edge. It’s
possibly Wobble’s most varied vocal work. From the soulful ‘I
Know Your Here’ to the fuzzy warbles of ‘It
All Fades Away’ & ‘Alpha-One-Three’. Through the spoken
word of ‘The Decline of the Music Industry’, and the mantra
of ‘The Wheel of Life’.
Musically, the album is not a complete departure from previous 30 Hertz
sounds, but adds a fresh twist. Although many tunes are two parter’s,
or resurface from time to time, the album jumps from style to style. Reflecting
Wobble’s ongoing musical journey. The opening track ‘When I
Look Up at the Sky’ is a groovy jazz rocker. ‘Reggae Parts The
Sea’ is almost a theme song for the album. It’s noisy background
and traffic-like horns give it a ‘sound of the city’ feel. The
Taxi that’s guiding Wob’s journey, so to speak. ‘Gardens
of Suburbia’ borders on techno. ‘Voice in the Wilderness’
has a roots rockers feel; complete with melodica.
Horns, strings and synths are used in various degrees throughout the album.
While the bass sound is as varied as the vocals. ‘Beyond Thought’
& ‘To Heathrow…’ are heavy – and I mean –
heavy bass. ‘On the Right Road’ and ‘When I Look
Up at the Sky’ use
funkier approaches. Whereas, ‘Alpha-One-Three’ &
‘From Silverton’ have unusual, but distinctive, treated overdubs.
The sparse ‘I Know Your Here’ has no real bass line at all.
There’s always been more to Wobble’s style that just low-end…
The sleeve features striking comic-book style artwork from John Freeman,
along with liner notes taken from Wob’s forthcoming autobiography.
Although just a taster – covering his childhood in London’s
East End and his nightly forays into cabbing – the excerpts
highlight Wob’s unique mixture of realism, mysticism
and humour. And we look forward to the whole story with keen interest…
With 20 tracks – clocking in at over an hour – the
album covers a lot of ground. However, it will take you where you want
to go, and you can guarantee there will be no surprises with the fair.
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