Reading his bio, it would seem that indie-rock singer-songwriter Gus Englehorn has lived quite transient life as he spent much of his life as a professional snowboarder but always dreamed of writing songs. Accompanied by his wife Estée Preda, his key collaborator with whom he produces his albums and creates music videos.
His new album `The Hornbook`, transmutes the entire history of 20th-century rock ‘n’ roll, ’50s golden oldies, ’60s garage spunk, ’70s glam flamboyance, ’80s indie transgression, ’90s lo-fi weirdness into an alien transmission from the future. A hornbook is an early-education tool for children dating back to the 15th century, a wooden paddle inscribed with the alphabet, numbers, and the odd Bible verse. “When I was writing these songs, it felt like I was making a children’s book—every song was a little story,” Englehorn says of the title concept. “But it also felt like a little bit of a cipher for our whole world.”
`One Eyed Jack Pt. I and II (The Interrogation/The Other Side` leads us in and it`s a strange tale of One Eyed Jack shared via a vocal trade-off between Gus and Estée possibly which initially has a kind of slacker vibe before speeding up in a more rhythmic rolling style. The singer has said that it`s a railroad song, of the kind that he would imagine a group of men singing while they worked as they drove in the railroad spikes. I read that `Thyme` is a song is about someone who travels back in time to Scarborough fair. A song about yearning for the past. We enjoy lyrical content both sung and spoken in an almost nursery rhyme context over an alluring melodic backing.
`The Itch` is a dreamy fairly trippy musing and `Roderick of the Vale` has a similar feel, a story of perhaps a medieval knight and some aspects of his life. It gathers volume and becomes almost an exaltation of this person and their deeds.
`Metal Detector` is fairly raucous and jagged with drums being thumped and vocals that are at times almost rapped. According to the singer “This one is pretty dada, but I imagine someone trying to play metal in their garage and one of their neighbours busting in the door and unplugging the amps.” There`s also a spoken-word cameo from Butthole Surfers guitarist and producer Paul Leary. A nigh on stream of consciousness is revealed through `The Whirlwind’s Speaking` which initially is quite not hostile but fairly forceful before mellowing as it evolves.
`Sweet Marie` is an enjoyable consideration on somebody who is only a fleeting faded memory these days but may have previously been a romantic partner. A strummed guitar and gentle vocals lead us through a surreal description of songwriting in `A Song With Arms and Legs`.
The album closes with `One Eyed Jack Part III (Epilogue)` which the singer felt was an opportunity to expand upon the One Eyed Jack mythos. A final rolling rhythmic piece with strange lyrical content about this mysterious man or myth .
`The Hornbook` will require a few listens before it makes any kind of sense if it ever does. It runs around the half hour mark so won`t impinge greatly on your day. For me it was a fairly captivating and oddly enthralling listen.
Rating 8/10
