Singles

Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee - Jame-Eater Blues / Dirty Tube Train

Miss Fliss 09/06/2008

Rating: 3.5/5

Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee might sound like a bunch of old fogeys your dad reminisces about from the 70s, but the name actually represents a supergroup formed out of Hefner leader Darren Hayman and The Wave Pictures' Dave Tattersall. My first thought was that a band with much more than a twinkle in their collective eye for Hefner combining with the lo-fi indie God Hayman himself would bring about nothing new, and indeed when Tattersall sings in joyous bursts in skewed tune, it could easily be mistaken for Hayman. Added into this mix, though, is not your typical indie fare, but bluegrass country-fied guitars, banjos, and violins. It's all very pleasant and bound to keep the Hefner hardcore happy. Lyrics are as detailed and descriptive as Hefner and The Wave Pictures are wont to explore, but this time we're not subject to the trademark futile longings about girls and losing at love. Instead we get a jolly Mountain Goats cover version about the delicious fun of eating jam from the jar ("Life is too short to refrain"), and a song called "Dirty Tube Train" which references Golders Green, the Northern Line, and a chance meeting on a "dirty tube train" with a "dirty girl" who "might be clean underneath". Not exactly breaking the traditional Hayman mould, but sweetly mixing things up just a little, and there is a whole album of bluegrass stuff to follow.

Available to download for free from: http://www.hefnet.com/HWTL.htm