Throughout recording ‘Cheerleaders’, Kugelschreiber (which translates from German as ballpoint pen) had a Post-it note in sight that read “What would Prince do?” However, this album sounds nothing like the diminutive, purple-clad wonder. The other influences cited for the record are ABBA, Field Music, Broadcast and Pixies. Unsurprisingly, there is little in common with such disparate performers but it does point to Kugelschreiber’s exquisite taste. Perhaps the band have via a process of osmosis absorbed some indefinable essence from each of these acts as ‘Cheerleaders’ is an excellent record.
The group were formed by bassist and vocalist, Sharron Fortnam, who constructed songs for bass guitar and three-part harmonies, before developing these tunes with Chip Cummins (drums, guitar and vocals) and James Larcombe (keyboards, hurdy-gurdy and vocals). Their sound is reminiscent in its fragile harmonies of 1990’s American band, That Dog, with splashes of poppier versions of acts Fortnam has previously been involved with, especially Cardiacs and William D. Drake.
If there is a concept or chain that links the songs, it is a focus on maths and science, comparing theories, facts and human relationships. Fortnam draws parallels between human behaviour, entanglement and global weather patterns to create a record that while being high blown is also emotionally engaging. It begins with a sparse bassline on the fragile ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoe’, which draws on elements (rock, island, sand) before the exclamation, “Holy Fuck! I’m losing Mass and Matter. See the wind blow me apart?” while Chris Williams’ flute waves along with percussive flourishes add extra colour. The shapeshifting ‘Elasticine’ is exhilarating, packed with tempo-changes, voices overlayed, then switching to quiet and vulnerable while the lyrics and their structure are charmingly unusual (“I read a poem where the anchor was key to the kite; countering exponential rises in height.”)
‘Fuck Symmetry’ is one of those rare songs where the title does not appear in the lyrics. The keyboards and harmonies dominate in a celebration of chaos, non-symmetrical faces and those whose voice and laughter brings colour into the world. ‘Harold Lloyd’ triumphantly pulls off a slightly different trick in only mentioning the silent film comedian’s name as the song’s final repeated words when the song bursts from an introspective bass and vocal piece into a technicolour explosion of sound.
‘Mike Vennart adds aerobatics and slide guitar to ‘No Glittering Promises’ on which “I fix my plane and circumnavigate the world”. In its dizzying blend of fast-paced bass, guitars and vocal harmonies, it has echoes of Sidi Bou Said, a band who were produced by Cardiacs leader, Tim Smith. ‘(me x u) ≠ (u x me)’ is a rarity in being able to smuggle mathematical formula into a fluent chorus. It is first and foremost a supreme keyboard led pop tune that develops a prog rock level of grandiosity as well as being a song about particles, atoms and people, the joy of not knowing the answers and being happy to live and love.
There follows a pair of tunes that repeat the trick of only mentioning the song’s title at the end, a reflection of their short-story form. Starting from a bassline, ‘Medals’ sketches a battle-worn, feet-weathered, lovelorn protagonist, the percussion creates a dark atmosphere in what feels to be the record’s bleakest song. ‘Truth Will Out Of Me’ is adorned with numerous well-judged tempo changes that create a dynamism within the song and has a motto that could be applied to their entire output, “My own feet; dancing to my own beat.”
‘The Sun Rose’ is a more muted track, the narrator proclaiming her love from sunrise through to heartbreak and being on her knees. As the LP’s final and longest track (clocking in at over six minutes), ‘Hold On, Space Cadet!’ is a blend of nostalgia and futurism throwing in references to taping the top forty, Fisher Price record players, the sound of graphite losing its particles and an Einstein-Rosen bridge (a wormhole connecting disparate points in spacetime) sending a message to 2021 which, of course, is now in the past, thus adding a further disorienting effect. Musically, it flits between tempos and volumes in a manner befitting the song’s story.
‘Cheerleaders’ is an album that takes the individuality of its influences together with the songwriting qualities they possess and sprinkles a heady covering of magic dust on top to create its own unique collection of songs.
Kugelschreiber: Cheerleaders – Out 13th September 2024 (Wamho Records)
– (me x u) ≠ (u x me) [Official Video] (youtube.com)
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
