Taking a break from the indie band merry-go round, singer-songwriters Moby Beefheart and Winter McQuinn release their “quiet is the new loud” debut ‘Midtown Downtime’ on We Are Busy Bodies. Beefheart aka William Murray, once fronted hotly tipped Brighton combo Fur, while McQuinn still heads up Melbourne’s rising psych-pop happenings, Sunfruits but this rercording feels like the pair are clearing the air together. It’s an album of all-natural ingredients, acoustic guitars, gentle percussion and twinned vocals, song-centric moments which revisit the past while refreshing the present.
Yellow Is The colour Of My Love eases you into the album, an open-the-blinds-and -let-the- sun-come-in kind of song, warm, hopeful and relaxed. Finger-picking guitar patterns mingle dreamily while harmonies hug the hook lines. “Peel the fruit and eat the skin/ Feel the water rippling” the duo croon lushly before the song stretches into an strolling sidewalk shuffle. Yes there are finger clicks and piano licks to see the song out, Lovin’ Spoonful style.
Next up comes On the Line where Beefheart & McQuinn subtly begin to poke at the good vibes bubble. Set to a seventies pop-rock twang and often deliciously Rhodes-soaked, the song quietly speaks truths not platitudes. ”Leaderships are leading you on / It’s just an illusion/ love isn’t losing/hate just turns you on” is just one of the duo’s sharp observations. The summery sounds of Melting drifts further towards melancholy. Maybe a song of fading friendship or perhaps a bigger crisis, the soft rock-out to an echoey fade cannily raises the temperature. The Allman Brothers funky Six Feet Under also takes a precise aim at the ‘haves’ with the reminder that despite the “First class fast car you’ll be in the ground some day”.
These contrasts, wrapping the bigger issues in a perky acoustic pop bundle, gives Beefheart & McQuinn an intriguing edge but they don’t weigh the album down with tension. The chugging jug band boogie Do It Again channels some T.Rex-iness for three minutes of shoulder shaking fun while Ride On Right On helps you “put your worries and woes aside” with its easy-going bluesy stomp. Throw in a tender porch-song like Fill Me Up and Beefheart & McQuinn quietly win you over.
It’s not just charm and hunkering nostalgia which gives ‘Midtown Downtime’ its appeal. There’s an honesty and openness about the duo’s songs which makes them so relatable. Take the heartfelt Yesterdays and Younger Days, a Jimmy Webb-esque ballad with a country rock lilt. As the harmonies console, lines like “I’m just one flight away from home and that might be my problem I don’t know” sound so real and raw. Yes Beefheart & McQuinn’s songs don’t rely on mega-drama to reach out. The jazz-tinged minor chord ripples of Dreams Die frames a fragile state, where you’re “over-thinking every move”, with a beautifully restrained touch.
The story goes that Beefheart & McQuinn first met by chance in a coffee shop and that feels just right. There’s an ‘Inside Llewyn Davies’ everyday-ness about their music but just like the movie, there’s something deeper and fundamental going on. Prepare to take it easy and discover some ‘Midtown Downtime’.
Get your copy of ‘Midtown Downtime‘ by Beefheart & McQuinn from your local record store or direct from We Are Busy Bodies HERE
