“The simple things you see are all complicated”… (The Who ‘Substitute’)
…from one curly top rocker to another, it’s safe to say, this much is true. Although, Ciaran McFeely (who when all’s said and done is Simple Kid) should surely be considered a “substitute” only in the super-sub-who-saves-the-day kind of way.
Simple Kid has a sweet gift for writing memorable pop songs. They’re not even complicated…at least not at first. No, the first thing that strikes you might be the gonzo glammy stylings of opener ‘Hello’; or the haunting melancholy of ‘No News’; or, elsewhere, everywhere, the delicious and delectable wit displayed in what is surely the best wordplay to come out of British pop since, well, since Morrissey probably.
Turns out Simple Kid might not be so simple after all. Unlike most folk in pop, he seems capable of writing lovely melodies and interesting words at the same time. So it is, that in ‘Staring At the Sun’ we find the Kid writing “a long letter to a Government man” – in clear homage to his current hero Arlo Guthrie – only to hear back “Son, I don’t think that you understand, I just want to get elected”. It’s so perfectly poised between ‘Summertime Blues’ and contemporary political satire that it makes your brain go swimmy with delight. And better yet, it’s all arranged to a beautifully swooping tune, topped off by a blazing riff and the most poignant fluted vocal since Andy Fairweather-Low sang ‘If Paradise Is Half As Nice’.
Playing with his voice is something the Kid does a lot. It’s not uncommon for him to start a line falsetto and end it basso profundo. It’s crazy and not a little unhinged, but also hugely satisfying, because it’s all firmly within the pop idiom. He swaps musical styles with both gay abandon and consummate ease. ‘The Commuter’ mirrors the monotony of its protagonist’s life, until the “weekend” of the chorus. And, like all the best comedy, it’s sad as hell. In ‘Supertramps & Superstars’ he takes our hand and leads us through the streets of London to meet a Kinks-ian cast of characters, caught half way between the gutter and stars on the nightbus to oblivion.
Recently, he says, his songs have increasingly become vehicles for the lyrics. “I’m a really big fan of ‘Drugs’ at the moment, because it could just be a dumb-ass pop song about drugs, but in fact there’s more – not much mind - but more.”
“I don’t have any mission, but I do seem to say things I haven’t heard in other songs,” he says matter-of-factly. “I store things up that occur to me at any time of the day or night, and I do that all day. You could say I’m prolific without maintaining standards. I will gladly write a rubbish song and be happy with it for an entire afternoon. It’s a pleasant way to spend your time.”
Soon, however, the bin beckons and we’re left with the hot stuff. “Even a lot of quite good bands are in truth saying absolutely nothing. I suppose I just found I could write songs in a really simple, non-clever way. It’s only pop music, y’know.” This he gets down right at the moment of conception wherever possible, preferably at home. “ Once an idea’s in my head it’s becomes less interesting to me. If I know I can tie it up, then there’s always a chance I won’t tie it up. Ideally I like to get things down in a day and never have to touch them again.”
This approach has meant that this remarkable record has an appealing al dente feel to it, brought on by its no-budget, yet wildly inventive, production. The Kid does confess to having recently bought a computer to help him get stuff down when the feeling hits him, but is perturbed by the idea that it might result in “tidy music”.
Still in his early 20s, Simple Kid is a veteran of the entertainment industry, having fronted a raucous band out of his hometown of Cork, who rode the aforementioned nightbus once around the block. The experience left him a little sanguine. “There are so many processes in this industry that you have to wonder are strictly necessary. A&R, marketing… In the real world, nobody cares; they just appreciate a really good song. It starts and ends with the songwriter.” So does that mean that the Kid is a singer-songwriter? “I’ve a terrible feeling I might be. Horrific isn’t it?”
www.simplekid.com | www.myspace.com/simplekidmusic | www.youtube.com/simplekidstuff |
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