Staff Reviews

Darren Hayman and the Secondary Modern - Essex Arms

Review by Michael Wheeler

Darren Hayman has crafted another remarkable record out of the most unexpected of source materials, but its brilliance will stick even if you don’t get a little thrill of familiarity by hearing him sing, "the Rayleigh boys, will fuck up all of Southend". »

Buy now from:

vinyl with free download. illicit sex, dog fights, car crashes and love in the english countryside, 'essex arms' is the new album by darren hayman and the secondary modern. darren, of course, is best known as the singer-songwriter of the phenomenally successful and much-loved hefner, although it's worth noting that he has now made six albums to hefner's four. in the latest incarnation of the constantly morphing secondary modern he has gathered together a set of musicians with the chops to do justice to his increasingly complex and mature songs; a tight, tough, but soulful folk-rock orchestra reminiscent of a more urban incredible string band or an anglicized lambchop. the second in a proposed trilogy of albums about hayman's home county of essex, essex arms is a conceptual piece about the east anglian rural underbelly. ' the songs are about love in unloved places,' says darren. 'i wanted to sing about a lawless, hidden version of the countryside, but still treat the subject with tenderness and respect. 'illicit sex in car parks ('cocoa butter'), staged dog fights in forests ('i'll be your alibi'), joyrides ('spiderman beats ironman'), car crashes ('drive too fast', 'plastic and steel') and the death of industry ('dagenham ford') are all dealt with, but true love is never far away.
description from www.roughtrade.com