ALBUM REVIEW (BY MEAN SERIOUS BASTARD GIOVANNI) :: THE SURSIKS - LYDIA GRACE

Current mood: RIGID
Category: RIGID Music

"Lydia Grace" is a collection of 13 songs actually written and sung by a 3-year-old girl. She was not told what to sing, or even what to sing about. The subjects of her "songs" and monologues often relate to the picture she was drawing or the toy she was playing with at the time. Having not yet been routinely exposed to pop culture, her imagination conjured up lyrics quite different from those of any adult.

Mmmm...

I had 2 immediate questions here:

Why?

And more importantly:

Does it work as music??

And after taking a few months to come up with answers, I'm not sure I have any The Sursiks, or for that matter, Lydia Grace are gonna much like. You see, my main problem here is that I don't like how this sounds and my secondary problem is I don't fully buy the theory behind it...


The Theory

OK, so I think I get the basic premise: Rather than have eternally fake young 40 year olds sing songs for kids, why not get a kid to do them, the kids will therefore relate and the world will be a happier more joyful place for all our children :+). ...

No, I exagerate, it's not that serious. These guys aren't politicans or vying for Bonos job, but there is the hint that this needs to be done.....

Anyway, I found that further examination of this - on the surface - sound thinking throws up some playful inconsistencies and I'm a dull stickler for solidity of ideas.

Firstly: Is it not the case that most musicians and singers have the same kind of selfish ME ME ME mentality that kids do??

And Secondly: Is there really a need to start with, other than in the albeit lighthearted minds of The Sursiks? Have children been protesting about 40 year olds singing to them? Is this a big issue for todays 3 year olds??

I don't know. I don't have any kids and none of the people I know who do, have drawn my attention to this being so, so I'm guessing not...

But if so, are the kids also not perhaps up in arms about adults musical sensibilities? I mean, surely if you're going to hand over lyrical duties, you also have to let Lydia or her friends play the tunes rather than play some smooth and funky jazzness in the background??

Yes boss, this LP would have made more sense to me at least, if as Lydia exclaimed joyfully, there was another child hammering away on the toy xylophone with that willful almost demonic disregard for a tune that young kids have, whilst another crashed away on the piano, the boy from 4 doors down threw his drum at the raditaor and the 5th member ran off to look for treasure....

What I'm saying is it's all or nothing with an idea like this and this effort is half and half and that doesn't make sense to me...


The Music

So how does it actually sound??

Well, perhaps I'm a shrivelled, mean, child hating bastard, but unless they're your own or belong to your family or friends, the sound of children exclaiming isn't the most pleasant on the planet. Of course you tolerate and even enjoy it when you have to, but do you want to put a cd on to listen to it because you love it so much??

I don't I'm afraid.

Each time I listened to Lydia Grace, I got a few tracks in and my brain started to hurt. Yes boss, I've managed it just once all the way through (because i had to) and since then it's been 2 or 3 tracks in and I found myself thinking

"Quieten down Lydia!! Go play with your toys!!! Go see your Uncle!!!!! Or your mum!!!!!!! I know you went to school!!!! AAAAGGGHHHH!!!!"


I'm really sorry I can't be more positive here, because i get the impression there's a lot going on with The Sursiks and I very much like the sound of their previous album which features ansaphone messages. But despite my best efforts to be happy about it, I'm simply not bought on this one at all...

But, please do go and take yourself a listen HERE make your own mind up, and be sure to call me a cunt and The Sursiks damn clever if you disagree.....

Currently listening : Tuckassee Take By Lone Official Release date: By 13 July, 2006

04:21 - 15 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Paloma Pirate	i have got hear this. no wait. i don't wan't to. ok i tried to listen. horrible. i could not listen. i am impressed that she can spell her name, though...i have often thought of recording my children only for the purpose of being able to play it back for them someday to remind them of the noise that i had to live with... I do love the sound of MY children's voices, but I am quite certain that very few others would want to hear this racket. My kids love music and have not complained about the fact that grown-ups are singing it. And, there is plenty of childre's music with children singing along that they have not complained about either. Though, they don't listen to children's music proper, mostly the Flaming Lips... Posted by Paloma Pirate on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 13:52 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma Pirate	and, I feel a little like an eavesdropper in her world, which does not feel right. Posted by Paloma Pirate on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 14:26 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Paul Giovanni Music Blog...	I just have the impression it's wrong. It appears to be have done with all good intentions and with humour and love, but i can't listen to it without feeling it's wrong... Posted by The Paul Giovanni Music Blog... on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 14:43 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma Pirate	I think I like and can certainly appreciate the concept. But, my intuition (here I go again) is picking up something that is not quite right. Posted by Paloma Pirate on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 14:47 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Paul Giovanni Music Blog...	Yep, that's my review in 25 words... If the child is one of the band members you can understand their love to hear it singing, but otherwise nope... Steve Vai has done a couple of tracks with his kids on. One called Yayogak was OK because it did something ala crossroads with his guitar working off the child vocal in a duelling type fashion. I'm gonna have to listen to that now to remind myself... Posted by The Paul Giovanni Music Blog... on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 14:57 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma Pirate	I'll try to find that and take a listen. I think the concept of letting children make music on their own terms is worthwhile. I mean, there is a lot of potential for music making that is primal and not imitative of anything; if one could gather together a group of kids who had not been exposed to any music ever, give them some instruments and see what they do, it might yield something spectacular or it might suck. There is an experiment I should try...raise some children in isolation and then give them instruments...but they would have to WANT to sing and play. (i'm long winded today...too much coffee again) Posted by Paloma Pirate on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 15:21 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Paul Giovanni Music Blog...	When I'm saying wrong...I don't mean in any kind of nasty abusive way. I mean i just don't like the sound of it...Sonically wrong. I think children performing is fine. I mean I loved the Depp vid of a couple of days ago - that was so wrong it was right - I mean kids playing mental drum and bass dressed as pirates is something. I however felt this record lacked that little bit of imagination.... Posted by The Paul Giovanni Music Blog... on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 18:05 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	MollyCoddle	That's so cute it makes me weep...and it makes my few remaining ovarian follicles vibrate for attention. Posted by MollyCoddle on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 18:34 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Paul Giovanni Music Blog...	Well, one of the best things about this is that it polarises opinion... You love it or you hate it.... Posted by The Paul Giovanni Music Blog... on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 18:38 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	MOG	Your a cunt and the Sursiks are damn clever! ha I actually have to agree with you a bit. I like the Idea of the musical arrangement being built on the melody of the vocals It would have been easy to just create a beat and some funky loops and put the vocals over it. However could I listen to it more than a few times? No. The Novelty does wear off and a whole Album? well I haven't tried. I Think the ansaphone album is a better bet and I'm looking forward to hearing the newsreader stuff. Posted by MOG on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 19:49 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Paul Giovanni Music Blog...	Yes... I really liked the ansaphone stuff on the myspazz player and I didn't really pay attention to the Lydia Grace material at the time... I agree an album is too much. One or two tracks amidst other stuff might well have worked. I certainly look forward to the new material and intend to get ahold of a copy of the first LP... ) Posted by The Paul Giovanni Music Blog... on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 19:55 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Sursiks	Say...No trouble. The Lydia Grace cd seems to divide people into 2 camps. Those that adore it, and those that loathe it. I do think, however, that you misconstrued our intent with this cd. We were not on a mission to "save the children" or anything like that. Our M O is taking spoken material and turning it into music. We figure out the pitches and rhythms of human speech and then play along with it. It's the same concept as the first cd. I assure you that our goal is purely to make music that hasn't been made before. Sometimes the results are sublime, and sometimes simply irritating. It's all music. Of course, you are entitled to your opinion. Posted by The Sursiks on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 00:17 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Paul Giovanni Music Blog...	Yes... The point about the melody being worked off the vocal was something I didn't fully cover or appreciate...This adds something to the theory for sure, though I'm only really into the theory of something if it makes it sound good and like i say this just didn't grab my balls... Posted by The Paul Giovanni Music Blog... on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 08:24 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	The Paul Giovanni Music Blog...	More importantly, this response by the band is top class as far as I'm concerned - An act who can take criticism on the chin without sending packages of shit in the post is a good act...(mind you the postman hasn't been yet) And good point. I didn't mean it to come across that you were trying to SAVE THE WORLD! That was me slipping into serious Paul - my sarcasm was failing me...I've corrected it a little... Be sure to keep an eye on this act anyway. I think the best is yest to come...) Posted by The Paul Giovanni Music Blog... on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 20:49 [Remove] [Reply to this]

The Sursiks

Hello again. Firstly, thanks for the modifications of the review. You didn't have to on my account, but I appreciate it anyway. I'll freely admit that the Lydia cd is sonically and musically inferior to "I didn't know i was singing" (the one with the phone messages) The Lydia cd was actually my initial experiment for this type of writing (starting with nothing but uncontrolled spoken word interspersed with singing) Lydia was 3 when that cd was made, and she's 7 now. I just recently fixed up a few parts and decided to release it a year after the other one came out. There are many things that I'd fix up now that I know what I'm doing, but it exists as it is and that's enough for me. I also wanted to address one of the questions you had in your review: "Why?" I'm not sure what the cultural climate is like in GB, but here in the US there's a constant drive to turn children into nothing but consumers (product placements & ads in schools, pop music constantly glorifying the idea of being rich, toys that teach you to buy stuff that you don't need) The specific children's music that I was referring to in the Lydia description is a series of cds out in the US called "Kidz Bop" (i think they're up to Kidz Bop 13 now). It consists of current or recent radio pop hits, the original vocals being replaced by a group of kids singing the exact same thing as the original. Therefore, kids get to hear other kids sing about the glories of having a new car and a big house, the problems of male/female relationships, going to the club, and various other things that kids aren't really concerned with. On top of it, the kids are just reciting without coming up with anything themselves. Lydia Grace was a response to this, in that her songs really are just the ramblings of a 3 year old playing or going about her business. The songs are often about absurd or mundane things, things that are missed once one gets older. The other reason to do a cd like this is simply "I'ts just what I do." Thanks again! DM Posted by The Sursiks on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 20:44 [Remove] [Reply to this]