Paperjam

A Moment Of Clarity and Overdraft Blues by The Psychotic Reaction

Music // Jim // 2nd April 2007

In deepest darkest August 2005, The Psychotic Reaction were kind enough to send us a copy of their album Rumble. I was most taken by it’s tuneful, DIY, lo-fi charms, you can read more here - The Medway Crab Fishermen is a totally ace song.

Which makes it all the more painful to have to report that on their new double A side A Moment Of Clarity/Overdraft Blues TPR have eschewed their homely charms for a grander design.

From the opening orchestral refrain I was unsure, then when the children’s choir kicked in I was reaching for a bucket. It’s a mid tempo plodding effort with lyrics that would be at home on the next Snow Patrol album. The big grand-standing chorus is purely designed for middle-aged couples to hug each other to at weddings and the mid-song dual-harp solo is just repugnant.

Only joking. It’s business as usual, first track makes me think of The Pixies at the start and is an organ driven stomper par-excellence. “A Moment Of Clarity” is still one of my favourite phrases of all time, along with “The Philosophy Of Futility” and “Ok, go on, I can skive off work tomorrow”.

Fellow A-side , the instrumental Overdraft Blues is blessed with a cool title and sounds like it should be the soundtrack to the greatest two and a half minute long silent film ever made.

These tracks are released on 17th April, you can download them for free at the following location or have a listen on TPR’s MySpace page. In exciting audio-visual news there should be some videos appearing on You Tube as well.