When they send albums for review, they often give you a signpost as to what it sounds like with the letters “FFO”. For fans of, it means. And when it comes to Beans On Toast, it must be a terrible job.
The one here speaks of Billy Bragg and Frank Turner, and I can see that. There are, as one of the lyrics says, songs “of an incompetent government” like the former and the same unshakeable belief in people that belongs to the latter, but honestly, no one does it quite like Beans, not really.
Every year, Jay McAllister (Beans to his mates) on December 1st puts a record out. It is his birthday and it’s his gift to us, if you like. Maybe to himself too?
There’s an absolute joy about “The Toothpaste And The Tube” right from the off. “Back Out On The Road” underlines that. I’ve always thought that BoT puts records out so he can tour. He belongs on stages. The lockdown and all the associated problems must have been worse for him than most. He needs people. He loves people. He needs the interaction, and it all bursts forth in the truly wonderful chorus.
But, this is 2023. We’re being led by self-serving, evil scum, and as a singer-songwriter who documents the world around him, there’s a never-ending supply of material and there’s enough here to unpick. Most of it is wrapped up in the brilliant “Work To Do”. Even here, there’s a cheeriness. The bar room piano is a proper knees-up.
The shining gem here, though, is the stunning “Hope And Glory” where he follows a woman throughout her day and its challenges. The absolute skill of this is that it finds some tiny shards of joy. As we must do.
That’s basically the pattern. For every “The Three Stooges” – a vicious condemnation of the World Economic Forum and the Truss’s and Kwateng’s of the world- there’s “The Dragicorn”, a simply beautiful study of the imagination of his 5-year-old daughter.
He writes songs unlike anyone else. “The Golden Lion” is home to a West Yorkshire pub, but it is about so much more. “Send Me A Bird” is gorgeous and will resonate with anyone who has lost someone (which is all of us, speaking to the universality of what he does).
You should never be surprised at a Beans album I suppose, but I never had bagpipes on the bingo card. “Sunny Sunny Scotland” explores his roots, and “AI” is the quintessential recipe for what he does. The song explores ChatGPT with trademark wit, as he always seems to do.
And, I’ll be honest, it helps that his politics broadly align with mine. “The Greenwash” sets its sights on the capitalists that have made themselves rich off the back of the climate crisis. “Against The War” looks on with incredulity as “I’m not sure if there’s good guys or bad guys anymore” instead “standing with the victims whoever they are”.
Environmental issues are never far away here. “Swimming In The Sea” finds the serenity and calmness outdoors, while “Who I’ll Try To Be” – the last one – in many ways ties up the loose ends and envelops itself in the contentment of family, friends and community. At the end of it all whatever is on the news, there’s always something to cling to, and people are – basically- decent.
That’s what Beans On Toast sees and that’s why “The Toothpaste And The Tube” is the work of the absolute finest chronicler of humankind (not the human condition) there is.
Rating 9.5/10
