4. Funk

Christian D Best Thing
Yes, nicely tight trousers in the verses, and the layers of rhythm guitar are pretty Prince-like too. The bass is solidly economic, almost a percussion instrument. Best bit for me is the guitar riff behind the "nobody's chased me" bit and the outro, very smooth and memorable. 

Phil S Change the Destination
First time I've ever heard acoustic funk, but then I should get out more. It's one of your trademark atmospheric songs, with the distorted electric guitar and slightly weird beat, funkier than usual, but still recognizable. Nice hook, the destination/station lines work very well. Breaking free from the 9 to 5 is pretty funky.

Tim & Glyn Leave Our Fields Alone
A useful thing to have, a hot in-house guitarist. Good funk workout feel, very live-sounding. The "so rich, too bad" section works very well to lift us into the chorus, and the hook will be a great one to sing while you're lying in front of the bulldozers.

Tim & Julie  Tiny Hands
Very catchy bass riff, the laid-back beat and the title giving the whole thing a whimsical feel. I like the way you keep the hook line coming at us, sort of grinds it into the brain. It reminds me a bit of Ian Dury and the Blockheads.

In googling ‘funk’, I came across a definition that said that each instrumental part adds rhythm rather than melody. This probably explains why none of us sound, or indicate in our commentary, that we are entirely comfortable with the genre – I don’t see us a collective of rhythm junkies (if there is such a thing) but what a good impact the theme had on the songwriting!

Stephen Clarke – I’m in Love (but she doesn’t give a funk)
There’s a bit of a battle going on here. Funk is the one musical style where you could have got away with American pronunciation and while normally I would be totally in agreement to pronounce in song how you speak, the song definitely sets off with ‘a white man trying funk’ vibe. Nonetheless it bowls along nicely and just as I thought I knew where it was all going, in bursts the wonderful chord change and harmonies on ‘lose my mind’ to be immediately followed by the chorus, which to my ear sounds genuinely funky – especially as the guitar backs off, leaving the drums and bass parts to shine.
The unexpected lyrical “frankness” is really funny and this is all round good fun.

Christian Duffin – The Best Thing in this Crummy Town
What a brilliant introduction! Sounds really funky straight away. I particularly love the short reverb/echo sound on the verse vocals and you just about hold the funk intention together until it hits the chorus. At that point your obvious love of killer chord changes and flowing harmonies takes over. That’s not particularly a criticism – if I didn’t know the theme was funk, the invention and variation between verse and chorus would make this an absolute favourite. I listened to it several times in a row and think it is one of your most accomplished songs – beautifully performed and mixed and full of warmth.

Phil Sanderson – Change the Destination
After the shock of the thong song, this feels like a return to normality for Phil. The drum track is great and the song really feels slightly breathless like it’s racing to a destination. I’m not certain that’s really funk but like Christian’s song, the theme has helped you to step a bit outside your (un)conventional style and it really works. On headphones the ‘call and response’ effect of the vocals is great and the swirling, shifting sounds make it a compelling piece of composition. Great guitar finale as well!

Tim & Julie – Tiny Hands, Tall Tales
Now this does sound like funk! Your description of having to programme the bass part doesn’t really surprise me – it works perfectly with the song and renders this song as a bit of a triumph but it would be so difficult to play accurately throughout the whole song. Let’s face it, most white men struggle with such a rhythm-based musical genre and one of the benefits of SWC is that we have to learn how genres work (and have a new respect for really good songs that fit the genre). The guitar part is really nicely timed and well recorded but my favourite part of the song is the brilliant ‘tiny hands’ backing vocal. Not only is its timing exquisite but the lovely way it tails off is perfect. This is such a good song as a result and like the others, the effect of introducing an unfamiliar genre has pushed you to produce a song that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Apologies for late posting of review, I almost got there for 2100, but when I realised I wouldn’t make it in time I diverted my energies towards repairing the damage done to my house by ‘the artist formerly known as Europhil’
( it's OK, my wife knows a good plumber )


Stephen

The guitar parts, chords… almost have a heavy metal/rock touch to them ( not a criticism, but it’s the first impression I got from the song and it’s stuck with me since!)

Really like the break out into different drum/ percussion sounds when they happen. Great lead and backing vocals, especially on the ‘lose my mind’ lines. The groove on the chorus is funky and foot tappingly catchy.



Christian

Quite a touch of jazz funk here - especially in the opening section. How tight were those trousers? ( the higher vocals are really good – my favourite vocal part of the month. ) The section from 2.26 to 2.47 is another real highlight. It’s all played very well - the keyboard part is excellent.



Tim and Glyn

I can picture the scene now in that field, the three of you set up and playing in front of the digger, and in an ideal world the landowner being so captivated by this great song that he calls off the builders and makes instant plans to create a nature reserve instead. Another terrific song. So many highlights, but I’d put the vocal harmony parts at the top of the pile. The groove is authentically funky and played skilfully.


Tim and Julie

When the ‘tiny hands’ line first hits your ears it could almost be annoying, but by the end of second listening to song it’s lodged in your head, refusing to shift, and I found myself singing it every time I was clutching my secateurs this weekend. What a great funky groove - you’ve really embraced the genre full on and come up with a classic. ( for my part I embraced funk whilst putting down my drum track, but then had a what the heck feeling for the rest of the writing and recording ). There are great guitar and brass sounds throughout.

Well done, T&G - a deserved winner.