LISTENING TO - Boy From Michigan by John Grant

In recent years John Grant has broadened the style and subject matter of his songs. Whilst still delivering them with characteristic wit, sense for melody, and the rich mellifluous tones of that voice. But there's also been a sense of uncertainty and drift to it. Where does he go from here?

The emotional vengefulness and score settling of earlier songs, could never be maintained without eventually descending into self-parody.  Demons having been exorcised, Grant's songs have become gentler in tone, more at ease with himself and his past. Even writing a romantic love song, without any pronounced thorns sticking out would have been previously unheard of. With his last album Love Is Magic he appeared to be reaching for an overarching thematic tone or mood, however inconsistently  he achieved it. 

Boy From Michigan is expertly helmed on production by Cate le Bon, taking the instrumental heat down a touch. We have here a very different album. At times quite gloriously brave, encompassing all the best his considerable talent can offer. Set this time within the atmospheric frame of a boyhood being remembered. The eponymous track Boy From Michigan, begins with an ominous wave of synth. We are going back to his home town, but like all returns there is reticence, its a mixed emotional bag -  'Beware when you go out there, they'll eat you alive if you don't care. They're using different rules, the american dream is not for weak soft hearted fools.'  For he is still that simple boy from Michigan.

Initially the return takes place in the idyllic world of childhood delights, previously depicted so fondly in an earlier song Marz, Recollections of a time and place seen through less world weary young eyes. County Fair is a beautiful lilting song about his first visit to the county fair.  He's on the perifery, not really part of the gang, but they are letting him tag along ' you can ride with us, or we can meet you there'. He cries because he's too small to go on some rides, but he falls in love with the garish beauty of the place nonetheless. Its a song chock full of colourful touching details.

Each track takes you to a different period-  his childhood, his teenage years, the friends, his first loves, sexual experiments and memories of abuse. The tone and feel of them is gentler, reflective and more heart than hurt felt. There is pain here, but its not lashing out at the cause of it  He wants to understand, to forgive if possible, to regret the loss of friendships from his youth. Throughout the songs have an unsentimental honesty and poignancy to them.

The hardest listen is the song Rusty Bull. The young Grant is at the junkyard 'where my Daddy goes', but mixed in with recollections of the tasty fries that he liked, is a discomforting memory of something he didn,t like, of someone who visited him at night time 'when he lies in his bed' the forewarning creeks on the five and dime staircase from which' forty years later I'm still trying to run'

  

Grant is very good at quickly setting the scene with his lyrics, 'I see you in the pink art Deco glow of the Cruise Room' or being 'All alone on some back country road just outside of Shawnee, Oklahoma'  or 'Just so you know I always knew that you loved me. Let there be no doubt or confusion in your brain' In this song Just So You Know its never entirely clear who's love he is acknowledging, a former lover's or parental love? If it is the latter, Just So You Know becomes a more emotionally complicated song. To love and yet have difficulties with aspects of a parents love, is an uncomfortable space to find oneself in.

There are the usual oddball tracks, such as Rhetorical Figure. Musically at least paying homage to the new wave bands of his youth, say The Cure or Devo. Whilst lyrically extolling the exuberant attractions of said figures of speech. Your Portfolio and The Only Baby are I find harder to fall in love with. These songs seem to be straining for something but not quite getting there. The latter is over extended and histrionic at times. Its having a shot at Trump and his ilk, but I'm not convinced it hits its target. 

Putting these aside Boy from Michigan is a more than welcome return to top form.

CARROT REVIEW 7/8