It would be fair to describe NJ White’s, aka Whitey, latest release, ‘Mental Radio’, as sprawling. As a double album there is less need for tight focus and it allows the space for him to flit through a range of styles and moods. It is exemplary of his eclectic career that has seen him release a string of albums, while his music has featured in ground-breaking television shows (The Sopranos, Breaking Bad) and video games (Grand Theft Audio). ‘Mental Radio’ sees him ably assisted by a range of contributors, most frequently guitarists Harry Osbourne and Del Guapo.
The sixteen tracks kick off inauspiciously with the fuzzed-out guitar intro and chugging riffs of ‘When Did I Lay Down and Die?’ Things get more interesting with ‘Cherryade’ which builds from a bass riff that recalls the Butthole Surfers’ take on ‘American Woman’, marrying it with a Beck-like vocal take as it insists on “drinking from that poisoned cup”, subsiding in screams before reemerging in a jaunty music hall style. ‘Little Piggies’ displays further diversity, having a 70s pop novelty vibe disguising a more serious lyrical intent. Developing from amused cynicism to a more urgent call to stand up and see the wolf at the door, it takes elements from Three Little Pigs, Animal Farm and protest posters. The song throws together ever more elements, including stomping piano and makes a compelling piece.
‘Let It Burn’ is based on a piece by Heather McIntosh who supplies cello on a song which points a finger at those who sit back and enjoy the flames of chaos. It again takes an unexpected turn in its slowed down reprise. Showing an unwillingness to stick in any one musical style, ‘This Is Forever’ is synth led, blending it with insistent riffs and frenetic percussion. ‘Don’t Be A Can’t (All Your Life)’ enters more straight-forward rock territory, an area where the record is less interesting. In contrast, ‘A Simple Soul’ starts as a lo-fi keyboard song with Whitey’s voice approaching falsetto levels in its championing of simple songs before building into a rock epic that wants to “drown in rock’n’roll”. ‘It’s A Scream’ has a glitchy rhythm while Whitey’s vocals recall the Thin White Duke amidst some quietly dramatic piano on a song that appears to take aim at social media conspiracy theory from its opening references about “hearing the world is flat.”
‘Bad Energy’ starts off in a more conventionally rocking mood but splinters off with some intriguing percussion and builds to a hyperactive peak as all entailed engage in lies. Back at the piano, ‘Boxes Squares Etc’ could be a metaphysical episode of ‘Play School’, even indulging in some finger-clicking and instructing to “get in your box and never get out again”. In the groove laden ‘Dear Universe’, he asks whether he is the “punch line to your favourite joke” as synths echo around Del Guapo’s electric guitar. This slips into the space-age, ‘I’m Alright (Dear Universe Reprise)’ which creates the feel of floating without gravity, Whitey’s voice sounding woozy but as if the trauma has dissipated.
‘Bad Scenes at the Eyelid Cinema’ utilises a bass sample from Adriano Celentano’s ‘L’unica chance’, bluesy harmonica, organ sounds and buoyant percussion to create a far more appealing proposition than the title might suggest. ‘Remedy’ is a further piano-led song with lots of melodic variety that emphasises the value of hope, movement and pushing on. That shapeshifting within songs is maintained on the penultimate track, ‘Inaction Man’, which slips between laidback eerie keyboards, heavy-action riffing and symphonic sounds. The album concludes quietly with the restrained ‘Man You’ve Got To Help Yourself’ which develops an orchestral backing.
‘Mental Radio’ covers considerable ground over its 75-minute duration. It is a journey that is rarely dull and any thoughts that it might benefit from tighter structuring is diminished by the realisation that the craziest digressions were often highpoints of the record yet might otherwise have been excised. Ultimately, it manages to be a very loose concept album that tackles freedom, thought and responsibility with the feel of flicking a radio dial and encountering a random but pleasing selection of songs.
Whitey: Mental Radio – Out 3rd October 2024 (No! Label)
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.
