Josef K

Entomology

(Domino)

Record Review

It’s difficult to write about Josef K without feeling like I’m treading on sacred ground.  In the interest of full disclosure, I was well acquainted (and – also in the interest of full disclosure – somewhat enamored) with the likes of Franz Ferdinand before I had even heard of the Edinburgh post-punk band.  While I can virtually hear Paul Morley shudder at the thought of such inexperienced ears daring to assess this hallowed band of pretentious indie lore, it’s quite likely that the majority of listeners will be approaching Entomology from a similarly backwards perspective.  Most will have already read the mythology: the scrapped, brilliant first album; the disappointing official debut; the Kafka-inspired name; the brief lifespan (two years); the lamentable squandering of boundless potential.  The music business – indeed, people in general – are fond of such stories of unfulfilled glory, so it was with a healthy amount of skepticism that I approached this compilation of the band’s work.

After a couple decent (if unexceptional) singles, the album improves with the urgent, exciting “Heads Watch,” the first track from the shelved Sorry For Laughing – yes, The Album That Never Was.  Distant background screams add a surprisingly thrilling touch to “Drone” and the wonderfully dark “Sense of Guilt.”  There is some limited versatility evident on this first attempt at an album – their high-strung paranoia is swapped for a relatively laid-back paranoia on the superbly spooky “Variation Of Scene” – but Josef K don’t sound like a carefree bunch.  That is not to say there aren’t a few rays of sunshine here: single “Sorry For Laughing” is a perfect, exuberant pop song (with a tune!); “Chance Meeting” features cheery piano and, of all things, some hefty brass; b-side “Pictures (Of Cindy)” has some guitar that evokes California more than Scotland; and the three tracks recorded for John Peel have an upbeat energy.  Their cover of Alice Cooper’s “Applebush” is downright endearing; incidentally, it also sounds like a completely different band.

I’m tempted to think that the dismay with which The Only Fun In Town – yes, everyone say it now, The Album That Shouldn’t Have Been – was received was a bit overblown.  While it does tend to magnify their nervousness and suffers from cloudy sound quality, they still sound like themselves.  There are actually some truly enjoyable moments on these tracks, like the quirky (but oddly fitting), almost Arabian-sounding guitar line on “Fun ‘n’ Frenzy.”  The fabulous “Heart of Song” is about as funky as any white guy outside of Talking Heads could possibly sound.  Of course, other songs like “Crazy to Exist,” and especially “16 Years,” sound like pointless rehashings of better songs.

While they certainly had merit, it’s hard to believe that Josef K would have ever become huge.  As an experiment, I played last year’s The Glasgow School, a reissue of their Edwyn Collins-fronted (and more popular) contemporaries Orange Juice, immediately after Entomology.  The effect was akin to waking from an eerie, unsettling dream only to find myself in my cozy bed, sunlight flooding the room.  Collins’ loveable, vulnerable voice was a welcome change from Paul Haig’s skillful but cold delivery.  Aside from lack of approachability, Josef K also resisted the catchy melodies that have made their modern disciples so successful.  Even so, the fact that some may exaggerate what might have been shouldn’t prevent us from giving Josef K credit for what they actually were – if only for a short time.