Showtunes from the Shadows shows the extent to which Helen McCookerybook continues to develop as a songwriter with each album she creates. This is perhaps best demonstrated by songs such as the optimistic 'Reaching For Hope', devastating 'Spy' and 'Puppet', gleefully satirical 'Three Cheers For Toytown' and whimsically cheerful 'The Ginger Line'. Her observation skills are as sharp as ever, but this is not an overly dark album: There is hope here, as revealed by 'Almost There', 'Reaching For Hope' and 'Send in the Detectives'. Humour is being tempered with darkness, meaning that the album never dips into despair, even in its darkest moments.
As is fitting for our times, there are a number of explicitly political songs on here, ranging from the sly character study of 'Sixties Guy' through to the full on satire of 'Three Cheers For Toytown' via the more unsettling 'Puppet,' whose pretty tune belies a much darker subject matter. Who is really calling the shots in the music industry? McCookerybook seems to be asking. Who is really the voice of the puppets song? Who has stolen her original voice and condemned her to a professional life trapped like a fly in a spiders web? It's a sometimes uncomfortable, and sad, listen and The 'Margaux Interlude' that follows provides space to think about the questions the song has asked, and answered. Regular readers of McCookerybook's blog will also know that Margaux is the name of one of the puppets featured on the album sleeve.
There are songs about relationships here, both good and bad, including the irresistible and subtly clever take on gaslighting that is 'It Wasn't Me'. The soaring backing vocals assist the slow build of a song whose hypnotic rhythms match the liars persuasive claims that the narrator must be mistaken and the result is a powerful indictment of the characters crimes and one of the finest songs on what is a strong album. The subversive 'Metaforte' meanwhile takes on a lying lover and delivers its devastating takedown over gently pared down chords that make it feel like a lullaby, albeit one with distinctly un-lullaby esque lyrics.
The long take on friendship that is 'Reaching For Hope' has a 1950s, almost Doris Day feel to it and it's gentle optimism revolves around seeking refuge in friends and friendship while also acknowledging how the changing times can also change a friendship and yet the friendship will endure. It's a thoughtful piece that reflects a maturity of songwriting that is both powerful and subtle, ending as it does with the line "As I reach for the phone to make that call, I'm reaching for hope as the numbers dial."
Both 'Spy' and 'The Porter Rose At Dawn' feel more like intricately crafted short stories than songs. You feel as though whole worlds are being created, fully stocked with characters and settings and atmospheres. In the case of 'The Porter Rose At Dawn' this might have something to do with the song being part of Gina Arnold's* Raymond Chandler project. It is certainly a sublimely complex and well crafted piece, one that sits somewhere between folk and country musically speaking, with its steel guitar and old time glamour. That glamour has curdled somewhat by the end though, reflecting the Chandler connection. 'Spy' meanwhile, as well as being perhaps the finest song on the album, is a well observed tale of an inexperienced female spy at the airport. Tension is built from the opening scene through to the shift in point of view through to the poignant denouement. It is packed with more action than the average thriller, and is a more thoughtful take on the world of spies than you would expect to find in such books. It is a finely judged song that haunts.
There is gentle introspection on the joyfully quirky people watching song that is 'The Ginger Line', another personal favourite of mine, and a similar travelling theme pervades 'Almost There', a wistful song that is also an album highlight. McCookerybook's voice is particularly good on album closer 'Send in the Detectives', a song with slightly angular chords and an irreverent but strong chorus. It provides an uplifting finish in a confusing world.
Showtunes from the Shadows provides a mixture of thoughtful whimsy, observational satire, character studies, and poignancy. It marries drama with comedy, vaudeville with modern. And it never fails to surprise and delight.
* I previously wrote that it was Gina Birch's Raymond Chandler project, but it's not: It is Gina Arnold's!
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