The only memorable impact that The Wonder Stuff have ever made in this reviewer’s life was ‘Dizzy’, their 1991 collaboration with Vic Reeves who was at that time the King of Alternative Comedy. And I seem to recall some decidedly questionable tartan suits as well.

 

The Wonder Stuff’s latest album, ‘Suspended By Stars’, marks their 20^th Anniversary since forming as young whippersnappers in Stourbridge. And we are sorry to report that this release is not likely to eclipse their previous Dizzy heights (sorry, couldn’t resist).

 

The album opens with a 45-second intro to ‘Tricks Of The Trade’ that leads up to a track that, like a lot of the songs on here, has no identifiable chorus. It’s all a bit like a poor-mans James, save for one or two likeable couplets like “Oh mister, shut up or shout it out”. This opening track ends with frontman Miles Hunt reciting “we love you… we love you… we love you” and that’s always nice to hear, isn’t it? Track two, ‘Last Second of The Minute’, is a slightly shouty affair with staccato versus that are backed up by steady riffs and enforced with strange lyrics like “We like to kick up a stink/ so stick your fingers in your nose”. Nice!

 

‘We Hold Each Other Up’ has a ‘Beetlebum’-ish bass intro, after which the album title creeps in again after being first dropped in Track 1 and a melancholy tone continues all the way through. It’s a sort of “us-against-the-world” scenario. Their new download only release, ‘Blah Blah, Lah Di Dah’, which sounds a little like The Levellers,  is rumoured to be about Lottery swamp-donkey Michael Carrol, so the least said about that the better methinks.

 

The latest addition to the band, Violinist Erica Nockalls, makes her first appearance on ‘Angelica Maybe’, giving this track an unintentional Celtic feel. It appears to be the obsessive pleadings of a man who wants to rescue a lost and lonely young woman, with not entirely platonic thoughts on his mind. The heart-breakingly romantic line of “Tonight he will not be parting her thighs” kind of gives that away. ‘The Sun Goes Down On Manor Road’ is mellow and irreverent, seemingly some middle-aged recollections of carefree living in a student flat. ‘The Popular Choice’ is aggressive, with spitting vocals and slicing riffs debasing as a damning indictment of the nations preoccupation with celebrity. Closing track ‘No One Tells ‘Em Like You Do’ is all plinky keyboards alongside more violin under hateful vocals depicting loneliness and abandonment with fervent style.

 

This album is not going to set the charts on fire. Quite frankly, it’s fairly boring with nothing that stands out as exceptional. Some of the lyrics have tried to be profound and insightful, but they just end up sounding daft and a bit twee. A couple of the tracks are WAY to long at seven minutes plus, which is just irritating. It seems like a lot of work has gone into this to mark their China anniversary but it ain’t going to win any awards. In a word, ‘Suspended By Stars’ is harmless. Now where is Vic Reeves when you need him?