I’ve never had the good fortune to meet Jim McCulloch, but I’m willing to bet he’d be one of life’s good guys. I’m also willing to bet that the vast majority of music fans will own or love at least one song featuring the talents of McCulloch the maestro in their collection. Whether they know it or not.
I may be wrong, but he gives the impression of being a quiet unassuming genius who just loves creating and playing music. Keeping his head just under the parapet focussing on what he loves and producing some timeless, unforgettable records in the process.
He can turn his hand to anything. Playing, writing, singing – you name it, he’s done it. The early days saw him becoming an integral part of the “Bellshill” and Scottish indie scene with the likes of BMX Bandits. Then hitting the upper echelons of the charts with The Soup Dragons. Interspersed by life and family, he powered through and assisted in the creation of a back catalogue of 30 years of cherished classics culminating in last year’s sublime Snowgoose album. Of course, lending his talents along the way to the likes of Isobel Campbell and Superstar to name but two.
I Mean What I Say
He has now taken the plunge and pushed himself to the fore. To take some of the well-deserved limelight and plaudits on the release of his first solo album, When I Mean What I Say. The question on your lips is… should he have stayed in the shadows? The answer is a resounding – absolutely not! This album is a bona-fide classic in the making. And I Mean What I Say. It is nigh on impossible to not listen to this album on repeat. One listen at a time is not enough. You are compelled to flip back from Diminished to Augmented and let the needle hit the groove again… and again.
From the opening bars of Blackstick Boogie on Side A (Augmented), you are immediately transported to a place of wellbeing and calm. The delicate strumming and heavenly harps partnering Jim’s laidback soothing vocal perfectly. The feeling of blissful reassurance carries into the intro to Chorus of Lists. The layered complexity and beauty of the refrain coupled with the yearning questioning of the verses creates an addictively uplifting song.
The oxymoron in the title of Augmented yet Diminished is the only visible (or audible) contradiction in this song, every part of which blends together perfectly. Perhaps one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs on the album where Jim seems to lay himself bare in his reflections is the delicately exquisite Downbeat. Jim then duets with Rachel Parker on the single Shining Bright, the song title and arrangement hiding a darker side, as its graceful elegance reveals a tale of break up and love turning to hate bringing Side 1 to a close.
Cautious Optimism
Diminished (side 2) kicks off with a ray of sunshine, and a hint of cautious optimism, “guess we’ll be starting again”, the song Open & Shut is both wistful and hopeful. The delicacy of Jim’s vocal once again comes to the fore in the sheer brittle beauty of Come Little Waves of Light. Utterly magical and totally affecting. To be honest, that phrase could be used to describe the entire album.
The closing duo of tracks shows no let up in the immaculate rhythms, perfectly formed melodies and considered and sympathetic lyrics portraying the fragility of the human condition. I Hope I Can Read the Forecast talking of “the rock you cling to when all your torments are gone”, the compassionate delivery demanding your full attention. The dreamy final song, When I Mean What I Say, the album’s title track, has a seductively subtle bassline, alongside delicately plucked strings and augmented with hypnotic melodica it draws you into a trance-like state of wellness and calm.
The closing lyric of that final song and title track hits a bit of a raw nerve with me “I think you’re under pressure”. Recently I have felt the world getting to me, and continue to struggle to get out of a negative mindset. Listening to these nine perfectly formed vignettes of life, soundtracked by the most soothing of arrangements, I can lose myself and feel a weight lifting, even if just for a short while.
Jim, stand up proud in the spotlight, take the plaudits and bask in the glory of the rays of hope and sunshine this album radiates. Like yourself, it is a quietly unassuming triumph.