Comicopera

by

Robert Wyatt

Edit

What a wonderful treat it is to greedily tear off the wrapping on an uncommon joy--a brand new Robert Wyatt album! The fact that we're living in a world where we can eagerly anticipate more music from the inimitable, eccentric brilliance of a man like Robert Wyatt makes it that much more livable, as far as I'm concerned.

Comicopera is different from Wyatt's inexhaustible back catalog in a few key ways--first, it's a (very!) loose concept 'opera' album in three acts--(1) Lost in Noise [generally an introspective portrait of existence in the present day] (2) The Here and Now [more of an outward look at current events, trends, and wars in so-called 'Western' society], and (3) Away With the Fairies [an escape from the English-speaking mindset into the music and languages of other cultures; primarily Spanish and Italian]. Second, it's the first Robert Wyatt album to be primarily recorded live, with the musicians playing simultaneously together in one room. Last, it's Wyatt's first release on indie powerhouse Domino Records, home of Franz Ferdinand and Animal Collective, among many others. This fact, combined with Cuckooland's (his most recent album, from 2003) Mercury prize nod, means that Comicopera may be the object of the most mainstream hype of any Robert Wyatt record ever--with younger fans of Domino's artists curiously sniffing around Wyatt's new record as well as music fans who were actually around when he first started out with the Soft Machine in the late 60's but haven't bothered to look into his music until now, Robert's music is no longer the exclusive possession of a slightly deranged and rabid (present reviewer included) cult fanbase. In most ways, this is a great thing; Robert's entire catalog--from the Soft Machine through Matching Mole and including every single solo release he's put out--is luminescent and unendingly interesting, so the more attention he gets, the better. The only downside is that casual new listeners may potentially be turned off by some of Wyatt's lovable eccentricities that don't make as much sense when not considered in the perspective of his entire career and M.O. The goal of my review is to generate interest in this beautiful record, and to help illuminate some of the left-field-seeming aspects of the music that may seem baffling to newcomers.

Despite its label as a concept-album-opera, Comicopera really isn't THAT concept-dominated, and is just as emotionally accessible as all of Wyatt's best work. The first act (tracks 1-5) is exactly the emotionally gripping Wyatt fans have come to expect--the opener, "Stay Tuned" is as melancholic and hair-raising as any of his best songs. Wyatt's voice (one of the best in the business, with a breathtaking range, peerless palette of timbres and unmatched capability to convey a song's emotion directly and viscerally to the listener) is laced with an electronic effect of Brian Eno's, lending it a ghostly metallic tinge. When Wyatt pleads, "Stay tuned..." and the hairs on my neck raise up, it's worth the price of admission already. His cornet playing keeps getting stronger, and his percussion lines are as lively and lyrical as ever. To hear a live band recording this music is something wild as well--the fact that a lot of people are getting behind Wyatt's music and investing their personality in it brings the songs much more force. "Just As You Are," sung with Monica Vasconcelos, is hands-down the best vocal collaboration of Wyatt's career, blowing his duets with Karen Mantler on Cuckooland straight out of the water--the song is penned by Wyatt and his partner Alfreda Benge and is a heart-wrenching study of a crumbling relationship. "A.W.O.L." is another dreamy portrait of a woman's gradual slip from reality, punctuated by novel percussion--a ticking clock! Act One, for the most part, is what we've come to expect from Wyatt--jazzy harmonies, gripping emotion, and experimentation with sound. If it's too quirky for you by now, you may want to loosen up your expectations or you might be in the wrong place.

Act Two is far more reminiscent of 1980's Wyatt (i.e. Old Rottenhat, or even into the 90's with Dondestan)--political, biting, and stark. However, it's packed with the best songs on the album. "A Beautiful Peace" is one of the funniest songs he's ever written, beginning with absent-minded muttering describing a stroll through an English town (ironic as well, since he's been wheelchair ridden since the early 70's), and it actually finds Wyatt strumming a guitar! Of course, the song's ambling quirkiness gives way to a harsh irony--it's a beautiful day to go for a walk, "but not here." This "Britain is screwed up" mentality permeates Act Two: Wyatt goes on to skewer religious self-complacency in the wry and swing-laden "Be Serious," lambastes the farce of democratic government and foreign war in "Mob Rule." Instrumental "On the Town Square" is a joyous romp fueled by steel drums. The album's real crushing emotional force comes with tracks 10 and 11; "A Beautiful War" takes the blithe mood of "A Beautiful Peace" and applies it to the military bomber pilot as he "drops the first batch," ensuring that "we'll all be free." The bitter irony cuts through the song's cheery atmosphere, giving way to the desolate texture of "Out of the Blue," sung from the perspective of the man whose house was just bombed, set to frightening electronic effects and samples of Brian Eno's voice. The absurdity of the war is highlighted by the singer's confirmation that the bomber's mission was a success; "you've set me free," he says, "to let you know you've planted everlasting hatred in my heart." Ouch. This is some of the most conceptually hard-hitting material of Wyatt's career, and it's pulled off with punishing force and a refreshing absence of pretension.

After the withering end of Act Two, Wyatt's protagonist has little to do but escape the terminally hypocritical British mindset and approach other points of view, singing songs in Italian ("Del Mondo") and Spanish ("Hasta Siempre Comandante"). "Cancion de Julieta" is a slow-burning lurker, and an excellent adaptation of Lorca's poem. Pastafari is an interesting vibraphone piece with editing by Wyatt. When the album closes with "Hasta Siempre Comandante," an upbeat and celebratory Latin homage to Che Guevara, it's hard to deny the vast distance Wyatt has covered, lyrically as well as musically. A few of the published reviews I've read have given short shrift to Act Three (especially Twisted Ear's review), calling it inaccessible, unnecessary, willfully hard to like, and a disappointing end. I disagree with this assessment for many reasons. Knowing Wyatt's previous releases, the onslaught of 'world' music is no surprise--since as far back as his Spanish scatting on Soft Machine's Volume II, Wyatt has often sung in other languages, including his eclectic covers in the 80's and most recently some excellent work ("Foreign Accents," "La Ahada Yalam") on Cuckooland. It seems these reviews have also failed to pay attention to the foreign language lyrics of the songs on Act 3. Of course they seem irrelevant, if you don't bother to understand what the songs are about! Yes, it is a calculated move on Wyatt's part to make the songs tougher to approach, but it's also a very effective statement and the music itself is just as lush as the rest of the album. If you are put-off by Comicopera's occasional eclecticism and weirdness, I urge you to open up your mind and expectations. This music is rewarding precisely because it stretches the boundaries of style and form that we've all become accustomed to, and eclecticism is an integral part of the full Wyatt package. In my opinion, the hopeful, joyous strains of "Hasta Siempre Comandante" are idealistic and redemptive--a perfect end for the album that hints at positive potential and vibrantly conveys the glorious possibilities of Wyatt's communist ideals.

Sorry I had to write such a long review, but Comicopera and the rest of Wyatt's music deserve a lot of words--no one else is making music quite like this, and we're lucky to keep getting new Robert Wyatt albums every few years. I hope this isn't the last! If you're unfamiliar with Wyatt's music, you can't go wrong with the Soft Machine's first two albums, his 1973 masterpiece Rock Bottom, Dondestan, or Cuckooland. Every record is unique and brilliant, though, so this may be as good a place to get hooked on Wyatt's craft as any. Keep your mind open, and you'll more than likely have an adventure of a lifetime!