MARTY WILLSON-PIPER - Art Attack

LP Ryko Analogue 1988
CD Rykodisc 1988 with bonus tracks



"Marty Willson-Piper is a guitarist and member of Australian independent rock band The Church. After busking his way around the world, the Englishman found himself in Australia. Having taken in an early concert by The Church, which were at that time performing as a three-piece, Willson-Piper soon joined Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes and Nick Ward in 1980, expanding the band's lineup and broadening its sound. Along with contributing to each of The Church's studio releases, he has maintained a steady solo effort since the mid-1980s. Other side projects and collaborations include two stints as guitarist for UK rock group All About Eve, David Gedge's Cinerama and work with Jules Shear, Tom Verlaine, Martin Rössel, and Aimee Mann. In 2005, Willson-Piper joined veteran band The Saints to record an album and tour".
(wikipedia.com)

"His gently-plucked 12-string makes a wonderful, warm sound throughout, the Piper pipes are accomplished in a scruffy sort of way and his cosmopolitan reportage ultimately makes Art Attack ideal for those Bohemian evenings when the Cointreau flows and conversation turns to the lips of Beatrice Dalle. Art Attack is almost maddeningly precious - the lead track, O' Stockholm, comes in two tempos and two languages, and Willson-Piper actually pauses in the middle of Too Round to Be Square to recite the lyrics, just in case you need help appreciating all their zen implications and yet it will win you over by virtue of the incredible sweetness of its melodies. You Whisper opens with the sound of a ticking clock, over which an acoustic twelve-string guitar then begins to play a beautifully arpeggiated chord progression. She's King is a simple and perfect folk-rock love song. Evil Queen of England is a charmingly simple-minded protest song made all the more effective by its spare voice-and-string-bass arrangement. Marty Willson-Piper is on a high - and getting higher, the spirit amid the magician".
(martywillsonpiper.net)

LISTEN
&
ENJOY


She's King