Renaldo M — They Blessed The Body Breadcrumbered
They Blessed The Body Breadcrumbered is the first ever solo album from Renaldo M. Who is one-half of the British avant-pop/(off) world music duo Renaldo and the Loaf- who have been peddling their strange sonic wares since the late ’70s. It’s a wonderful varied & unpredictable thirteen-track ride of an album- which moves between urgent & ethnically odd, through to the percussive & quirky, onto the manic and unsettling, though to the charming & tuneful, to sinisterly disquieting.
The CD release appears of Austria's Klanggalerie- who have put out Renaldo and the Loaf reissues/ new material, as well a wide variety of experimental fare. The CD comes presented in a glossy digipak- with a front cover showing the head of Renaldo M being breadcrummed. Inside the digipak we have an eight-page inlay booklet- this opens by discussing the album's title & how it came about. Moving on through we get a breakdown of the origin of each track, and how many sessions it took to complete each- as well as lyrics for the songs that have them. A nicely presented release- which is a step up from the label's often fairly sparse packaging.
As an album They Blessed The Body Breadcrumbered certainly has flow & sense to its track unfold- and while it shifts through a fair few moods & genres, you feel like you’ve been on a journey in the best sense of the word. In its first half, we move from tightly jaunting and reversed vocalising of “Blessing Song”. Onto manic with an unsettling undercarriage of “Big Head Son” with its mix of honking ‘n’ darting 90’s midi tones, broodingly bass darts, and bizarre storytelling vocals. Though to the hazed to tip-toping beats, twanging 12-string guitar tone swing, and sing-song vocals of “Mina Or Maja”.
In the album's second half our journey starts off in a decidedly manic & rather unsettling manner with “Fake Rose” with its gallopingly ethnic on/off 90’s midi percussion, moments of tonally speeding, and darting toy piano. This is followed by the Parisian string ‘n’ horn jaunt meets jigging ritual percussion of “Surreal Love” which finds Mr M flamboyantly singing in French. We have the clinging and clanging (off) world music vibe of the instrumental track “Jumping in Java”. Or grooving ethic beat lead pop of “The Window And The Wall” which features great expressive baying ‘n’ wailing guitar breaks, and buoyant trumpeting midi tones.
They Blessed The Body Breadcrumbered is a wonderfully crafted & perfectly realized record, which takes its listener on both an odd & truly glorious sonic journey. It's one of the highlights of 2023, and justifiable so it popped up in my best-of-the-year list. To pick up a copy directly drop by here.