The Ike Reilly Assassination – Sparkle in the Finish / Junkie Faithful

• 9th May 2008

The Ike Reilly Assassination’s 2CD LP ‘Sparkle in the Finish’ & ‘Junkie Faithful’ is released May 12th. What’s it offer us? Well…

Imagine Seasick Steve/Adam Green riding a Dandy Warhol’s/Levellers skateboard through the 2Live Crew back catalogue and you’ll hear predominantly lady related grimy groovy guitar based tracks that are as infectious and engaging as their sometimes tongue in cheek subject matter.

Infusing a chart worthy catchiness into their squalid squat soundtracks, their songs hold their own, each with an underpinning decadent charm, which like dogs to speeding car tyres, demand your attention and allure you to the delightfully sordid message beneath their shamelessly accessible instrumentation.

With lyrics like “I’ll be judged on garbage day”, titles like ‘Devils Valentine’ and (mis?) quotes (from Ike himself, click this [link] to read my interview) like “Wish I could act human, wish I had a band called Flannel Bed Pan”, all offer subtle insight into the majestic mindset of a truly cool and tragically under-appreciated band.
There’s a lot of that going around though, right?

I say all of this based purely on the merit of ‘Sparkle in the Finish’, the 1st of 2CDs offered here. What did I find when I heard ‘Junkie Faithful’ you might well ask, well…

Whether it’s the fruit of a more experienced song writers labour or a predetermined choice to change direction, to analyze what’s on the in as opposed to the out, who knows? However, what’s clear is that newly added dimensions of depth and depravity wonderfully darken the proceedings.

Gone are the happy go lucky undertones, dispelled is the merely remote sense of affection and the songs herein are instantly recognizable as being products borne of life experience. I’m not saying the other CD didn’t offer that too of course, it’s just something about the overall tragic tone of this LP that drives the fact home. Ike’s admitted that these songs were easier to write and so one can only assume that they required less imagination and were perhaps sourced directly from life worn spirit.

Overall, to summarise, on the whole, in general and all in all, Ike and his band of deviants have produced a massive body of work that’s honest, real and more importantly, unafraid of being good ol’ fashioned rock, shaking of any of today’s commonplace pretentions that steal the thunder from many a decent sounding band. So, go Ike go!