Modicum - Autoslave (2001)

 


6a Froob Glebe. If that address means nothing to you then you have to ask yourself some pretty searching questions, for it was in this modest flat in Llandudno that Barry Gluto and Tag Jaggings first experimented, both musically and sexually, as a pair of harpsichord-obsessed teenagers.

Simple, catchy tunes and relatable lyrics about Orthodontics and Barry's mothers recipe for Chicken Rigmarole - indeed this was their original band name before they settled on Modicum - saw the pair become the darlings of the burgeoning 'Welshpop' scene.

Their self-titled debut from 1999 may not have been up to much, but then people had Millenniums'n'shit to be worried about. The release of 'Autoslave' in 2001, however saw Modicum become a household name.

By the time they released their third album in 2004, they had long since moved out of Froob Glebe and into a series of mansions. They embarked on a worldwide tour, supported by Rictus Thumb, and the sky seemed to have no limits. Save, unfortunately, for the natural limitations of air travel. The duo were so successful they literally thought they could fly - across the Atlantic - without wings, which was ultimately their undoing.

But should we have seen the tragedy coming? The closing track on Autoslave entitled 'We will die in an air crash in three years time' could be seen to be prophetic in a sense, through the band's manager Digby Piggingham has always insisted that it was a coincidence, into which we shouldn't read too much because we might end up in an accident ourselves if we're not careful.

Other highlights on this album include the voluptuous trough-pop extravaganza Sheepskin Forest and the closing epic Fanny Fridge Magnet, featuring a guest appearance from Olive McOrchid-Fork on the 13 string fretless bass.



Proper good.


Discographicalz


  • Modicum (1999)
  • Autoslave (2001)
  • Ethnic Snowmen (2004)


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