Faults, a collaborative work between The Second Hand Marching Band and Reykjavik folk band Benni Hemm Hemm, and the concluding album in The Second Hand Marching Band’s short, vibrant, good-naturedly unsettled existence, is self-consciously makeshift.
In the DIY spirit they pledge faith to, this grand finale tells a story of the conviviality of the creative process and how confluence in sentiment can result from a veritable patchwork of differing and sometimes even contradictory traditions and themes.
What is remarkable about the simple beauty of this work is the plurality of thought, the sheer number of voices involved in its conception – alluded to so strongly throughout the album, by the way, by the use of vocals, multifarious in number and style; singing in the round; call and response; two- and three-part harmonies; contrasting male and female parts – collectively, the two bands claim an active membership of 39 musicians.
While it would be possible to go into a detailed analysis of each of the tracks featured on the album and how they fit into this framework, the track which to me stood out as displaying both a simple effectiveness and celebrating a collaborative source is penultimate track ‘Retaliate’.
Its structure is straightforward enough, but the way in which it rises to a climax, through introduction of the rhythm section and the crescendo of the brass and guitar, seems to celebrate the ability of a confluent piece of work to result from the collaboration between the individuality of different voices.
It’s a work that is proud of its own creation, and rightly so; it stands as an example to other large-scale recording projects.
Crucially, it’s not over-produced, while fitting into a genre which is currently prone to take mastering and ‘cleaning up’ to ridiculous levels for the sake of air-play or a more popular sound; I hope it isn’t patronising to say that this shows a commendable degree of artistic sensibility.
I’m sorry that I cannot look forward to what The Second Hand Marching Band will come up with next, this being their great farewell.
However, I am filled with hope that Benni Hemm Hemm will return to the UK at some future time, following the reception of their performances in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London in March upon the release of the collaboration.
Faults by The Second Hand Marching Band & Benni Hemm Hemm
Words: Patrick McCafferty
