A bit bizarre

(Morning Star, Friday 01 February 2008)

ALBUM: Paul Vickers and the Leg - Tropical Favourites
(SL Records)

AS the Scottish granddaddy of all that is wonky and alternative about modern pop, Paul Vickers's teaming up with The Leg was sure to be an event.

As one of those musical matches guaranteed to make obsessive fans water at the mouth, the completed Tropical Favourites ends up as half a disappointment.

After the initial collaborative single Wild Geese, there was a lot to work with and, when it comes off, the record is imbued with both proper musical sensibilities and Vickers's own unique Dawn of the Replicants-honed absurdity.

On tracks such as The Ballad of Bess Houdini and Wild Geese, there is an artistry, a sort of seasick meandering through the valley of the unusual.

But, when it falters, it can seem like a racket. Opener Umbrella Propeller has the vague association with a blasting car horn and all the associated tunefulness that this implies, while Powerful Soup is the aural equivalent of a Giorgio de Chirico painting - at best confusing and, at worst, vaguely terrifying. Proceed with caution.