Slug // Higgledypiggledy

Slug

Higgledypiggledy

Memphis Industries

4/5 stars

This Slug may be slick, but it's definitely not going about its business easily. Chock full of choppy, jerky rhythms, dissonant intervals, and sundry sonic surprises, Higgledypiggledy straddles the line between art-rock and pop with considerable finesse. This second Slug release sees mastermind Ian Black seizing creative control after collaborating with his former Field Music bandmates on his debut. While Black does owe a certain debt to the Brothers Brewis and their fondness for the highbrow pop of XTC, Squeeze, and The Fixx, much of Higgledypiggledy bears a passing resemblance to the more menacing, paranoid leanings of early Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel ("No Heavy Petting," "Dolly Dimple," "You Don't Need to Wake Up"). A bassist at heart, Black builds these tracks from the inside-out, and the odd meters and chromatic riffs lend themselves to a pervasive sense of tension that he resolves with fine harmonies and lush arrangements (the strings and steel pan drums of "Lackadaisical Love" brighten a grubby bassline, evoking a tropical island; the harpsichords and baroque choirs on "Petulia" bring to mind a wonderfully warped courtyard coronation). — Matt Swanseger