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Whale City

"Warmduscher" is, I gather, a mild German insult meaning "hot-showerer": that is, a person unwilling to undergo the bracing rigours of a cold shower, or otherwise rough it; a bit of a wimp. In this case it refers to a London-based band fronted by U.S. ex-pat Craig Louis Higgins Jr., aka Clams Baker. Their second album Whale City was one of my favourite records in 2018. I have it on CD.

Whale City - as a locale - is a re-imagining of the decrepit and dangerous NYC of the '70s. The album has a loose concept, outlined in a few spoken-word interludes, of following one man's unscrupulous rise through the ranks of that city's underworld. The musical action begins with the second track 'Standing on the Corner', whose unsavoury urban storylines play out over an invitingly insistent bassline. 

The short & sharp 'Big Wilma' has more of a post-punk aura, while '1000 Whispers' feels like it's being transmitted from some '60s ballroom. After 'The Sweet Smell of Florida', my least favourite track, the second half of the running order comes back with a few more strong songs. At only 27 minutes' duration it's barely a full-length album, but it is a pungently succinct and highly enjoyable one.

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