JON KENNEDY
USELESS WOODEN TOYS
GRAND CENTRAL

Tops that don’t spin, horses that don’t rock…anyway, the strung-out-on-a-Sunday vibes are thoroughbred GC, where Kennedy starts with a loop and moulds track character around it. The savage basslines to ‘You, You & You’ and ‘Cut Up’ land smack bang in the middle of big calm, typifying JK’s craving for the odd bit of racket to blot the harmony. Much like ’We Milk Life…’ and ‘The Beef’ playing new skool blues to ‘Save the People’ protesting through scuzzy ska, ‘Sand People’ addressing surly headspinners and the title track starting a late folk drift. There’s nowt useless ‘bout JK’s rough guidance.

4 Out Of 5

Reviewed By: Matt Oliver