My first encounter with Nick Hudson took place over eight years ago aboard the MS Stubnitz, when he supported Toby Driver. During his first song I was the complete audience. These facts already suggest that he's probably a pretty obscure artist.
On the other hand his band The Academy Of Sun's magnum opus "The Quiet Earth" is not only my most-played album on Bandcamp, but I already consider it a timeless classic and one of the finest things England has brought to the world in this millennium so far. Well, I also had to create its Discogs entry, even though I was a rather late buyer.
His solo work since then has been prolific - among others considering of an album, an EP, a soundtrack and one of the rarest items in my whole music collection - and equally great.
The singer / songwriter / instrumentalist has channeled several music legends throughout his discography. And sometimes it feels like he could be among those greats. In reality however Nick Hudson is a prime example of an abyssal gap between deserved and actually received recognition. No, there could hardly be a greater walking antithesis to a star.
Welcome to "Kanda Teenage Honey", the latest self-released album of that queer dude with a Russia obsession, who moved from England to Georgia (the Eastern European one) creating his art between wandering in marvellous mountain landscapes and protesting authoritarian pro-Putin tendencies in the streets:
On the other hand I find it hard to make overall observations which really encompass everything which is happening here.
Nah, I'm doing the lame track-by-track thing. But you know what? I'm just spicing this up with pure randomness by setting my player on shuffle:
2. "For My Silence" - The three-minute hit single? Given how this catchy straight-forward piano pop ballad is placed on the album it almost feels like a ruse, an intentional misdirection. Or just a very good song.
3. "Sky Burial While Alive" - An ominous intro with a narration of dictators being likened to planets transitioning into a creeping Swans groove until the beat stops for uneasy Ambient sounds, while the sonor vocals contemplate over state culture grants for assisted suicides. Cryptic, definitely not a hit, but doesn't need to be.
8. "Bardo" - Spoken words and a slow Ambient build-up for over two minutes. Then this eight-and-a-half minute longtrack explodes into wild angular Noise Rock before slowing down to a movement of treacherous grand piano before a final storm of let's call it Chaos Core. If you needed a prove that Nick Hudson is a long-time fan of Mike Patton and Mr. Bungle - here it is.
15. "Bad Ghost Vs Good Boy" - Dear mannered people afraid of rainbows, you must be strong now, because this acoustic guitar ballad features references like "Helmut Berger in wanked-out underwear" or "Pink Kalashnikov clashes over River Phoenix' ashes". Yeah, I think this is an old man's gay jerk-off song. With a ridiculously good chorus for its tongue in cheek content.
13. "Catherine In The Curate's Garden" - A steady drone, an unsteady stumbling rhythm and a singer unphased by both pretending this was a beautiful six-minute Depeche Mode ballad. Weird yet intriguing.
5. "This Heat" - There cannot be a Nick Hudson release without at least one musical prayer to Tori Amos. A huge little piece vor just piano and vocals.
11. "Seva" - Synths and strange noises. It's Ambient soundtrack time? Oh wait, there's Vsevolod Osupov citing a (Russian or Georgian?) poem. I'm realizing that there are a lot of tracks on this albums pose the question: What is this and why does it even work? I'm not even sure if every track actually works on its. This album is best listened to as an holistic experience.
10. "Unspent Youth" - Opening with a soprano guest vocalist and carrying on with keys, strings, classical guitar and Toby Driver on hammered dulcimer. This feels like floating through a sea of sounds between clerical, Folk and Classical.
9. "Hunters" - More piano goodness, this time with a choir. Only two minutes short this feels like an interlude between bigger compositions.
16. "Danube" - I wish I could elaborate further on the lyrics of this album. But to be honest Nick's writing is easy to recognize as being very witty, humorous and also touching at times, even with my casual non-native speaker's knowledge of the English language. But actually digging into the meaning in an at least medium profound capacity is a task going over my head with the time at hand... This is a not spectacular, but beautiful album closer, by the way.
6. "Hachiko" - The shortest song of all. Only Hudson's voice. Good that the man can sing.
14. "Ortolan" - "Stab your demoniac smile to my brain, Soak me in cognac, cunt and cocaine!" ... Ok.
15. "Archipelago" - If you want me to name one pinnacle of "Kanda Teenage Honey" it must be "Archipelago". This absolutely fantastic six-and-a-half-minute piano epic definitely is the pinnacle of Tori worship. Going logically along with that this reminiscence on passed lovers is also the most emotional and heartfelt track. A-game! Oh, and on a side-note relevant exclusively for all homophobic Vlads and Karens out there, because it doesn't even feel vulgar in context: Yeah, this has definitely the most graphic gay stuff in it. And if that bothers you here... I'm sure you didn't get Björk singing about every fuck she had on "Vulnicura" either. Better just stick to Kid Rock!
12. "In Praise Of Venerable Jorge" - A duet about silence, so let's go right to the next one...
1. "Khevsureti" - Finally the album opener! Wide björkish strings, just one repeated verse in which Nick Hudson once again channels his inner Holly Johnson. This indeed feels like the intro to a 12" maxi mix of a Frankie Goes To Hollywood ballad - until it takes a turn to more recent Avantgarde sounds.
4. "Hollow Man" - "Show me on the dolly - Is genocide your therapy?" Lyrically this song throws a drive-by Molotov onto the oligarch's daughter, dreams of all wars, conjures hurricanes and ends up in a Nuremberg cell. Between circular guitars, majestic Dark Rock and pristine piano just as much happens musically. One of those songs which have it all. Almost a summary of the whole album.
And now go listen to the damn thing yourself! It doesn't have to be in this order.
The only thing which sucks about my particular copy of this masterpiece is that the plastic tray part of my digipak didn't survive transport unscathed and makes me watch its unstoppable disintegration in slow motion now.
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