Buy-stream Tom's Black Country Disco here (external link)
Overview:
It is going to be very hard for people not to fall in love with Tom Aspaul's Black Country Disco. The acclaimed singer-songwriter has curated an album of songs so intimate yet relatable that it is like he flicked through your private diary and set your emotions to melodic music with eloquent grace. The album, named after the area he grew up in Middle England (and where I lived for a number of years), draws influences from shimmering 70s and 80s disco yet never feels derivative - merely a case of wearing its heart on its sleeve. My wise mother always used to say that out of sadness and disillusion comes great art; that is certainly true of Black Country Disco. Tom's music is built upon his own relationship experiences as well as his time in the music industry, delivered in a way that feels like you are having a catch up over a Kylie Rosé with your closest friends. It is this gorgeous familiarity that enhances the lyrical content and helps those indelible hooks shine like the brightest star. In his heartache there is hope, his songs showering healing pop glitter onto the cracks in our souls. File next to Light Years, Make Me Believe In Hope and Make A Scene.
Longer read:
Our journey begins with the sumptuous sounds of Close 2 Me. The simmering self-doubt we all have inside us manifests through glorious sing-along poetry as Tom sings of how he finds it incredulous that someone would be interested in the real him. His low self-esteem is juxtaposed with finger click grooves and sinewy bass that conjures up images of crowded bars and attraction on the dance floor. If this is your introduction to his own beautifully layered vocals then you are in for a harmonious treat. The nuanced texture of his own voice bends the music to his will, ensuring the listener is captivated in his siren's song. Carnelian is a devastating song of jealousy and betrayal, where Tom's anguish is channelled through synth drenched score that is a symbiotic partnership with Mr Aspaul's singing. In the verses, the vocal is front and centre, accompanied by an almost ominous beat as Tom delivers a serving of truth as visceral as anything Alanis Morrisette has shared; the chorus sees a ravishing beat drop that helps you dance away the hurt and frustration as you ascend to the moral high ground. Tender continues the story, making you realise that Tom is highly adept at making you forget that these songs have a melancholy undertone. Musically it feels like a contemporary fusion of ABBA's The Visitors if remixed by Giorgio Moroder. Thematically, you get an insight into acceptance of a relationship ending but still that uncertainty of how long it will take to recover. Some would call it naive, but I think it is utterly charming.
Have you ever found yourself lost in memories and you have no idea how you got there? That is what the regal musings of Traces conveys with an almost wanton glee at the cycle we often find ourselves in. "It's taken all of my energy, to feel like/I am finally getting back to my life" sings Tom, before recognising that a healing heart is never quite a done deal. There is such vulnerability in the words that the music becomes the antidote for the obsession. He needs the pop anthem he's mustered up to combat the hurt and we are all just blessed enough to bop along. Traces closes side A of the vinyl which means the interlude of Euston on Side B represents the next chapter in this musical novel. With echoes of the famed train station permeating the instrumental, the music gently crescendos in way that builds a sense of anticipation. It is cinematic in scope and its blend into W.M is just exquisite. Leaving the bright lights of London for the West Midlands becomes a cathartic anthem of glittering imagery - not just of the geography but Tom's state of mind. Pulsing beats and those ravishing layered vocals bring a sense of the vibrant opportunities of the place you call home. This may be the greatest love song to a place since ABBA ambiguously heralded I Am The City.
Black Country Disco may be doing more for Wolverhampton regeneration than any tourist board campaign. Following on from the radiant W.M. is the tropical Dead Already (Save Yourself); delivering buoyant Ace of Base-meets-Boney M style majesty via enticing grooves and a message so uplifting it flies past seventh heaven and takes you straight to cloud nine. The listener is so invested in Tom's story by this point that you become his cheerleader, rooting for him by singing along with gay abandon. It is queer pop at its absolute finest, the true confessions on a dance floor. And if you hoped that Mr A would go out with a bang you would be absolutely right. 01902 (the area code for Wolverhampton telephones) is rightfully the current single - and in a perfect world would be vying for the top slot of the charts with Bright Light Bright Light's I Used To Be Cool (Poolside Disco Mix). It is pure disco decadence, giving us Studio 54 realness with such precision you can practically see Liza Minnelli doing poppers with Peter Allen under the glitter ball. The sultry seduction of nocturnal longing is palpable, the necessary remedy (by Little Boots) which leaves us grabbing the one we love and shimmying. HARD. The end credits roll with Black Country Disco ushering us out back into the real world with hope in our hearts and a belief in a better tomorrow.
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