JARV IS... - 'Must I Evolve?'

"Dragging my knuckles, listening to Frankie Knuckles"

My daily commute from home to work is made bearable only thanks to a pocket-sized DAB radio and the musical delights played daily by the wonderful Lauren Laverne; her breakfast-time BBC 6Music show soundtracks the walk-train-walk-bus-walk ordeal that takes me from door to desk. It's a heady mix of tunes and informed chat that, most days, feature something new and shiny getting a spin, an aural delight that perhaps might pop into my brain and take an easy residence there.

One such tune, that has easily made a home in the dusty pathways of my noggin, is living legend Jarvis Cocker's latest release, Must I Evolve? This is the first release from his new ensemble JARV IS, a collection of musicians plucked from various bands and previous collaborative endeavours, and an absolute beast of a song it is too. 

The song opens gently, with Jarvis' queries replied to by a Greek chorus, leading into a gorgeous near spoken word section, before handclaps give way to a thundering rollercoaster of groovy organ and blistering guitars. If Aphrodite's Child ever supplied the soundtrack for an existential Western this is what it would sound like, all that's missing is a Mariachi trumpet solo at the end.

It's only at the end, when the dust settles around you and the other commuters on the bus are giving you some very odd looks, when you realise that was nearly seven minutes of absolute exhilaration. Gorgeous.

Being primarily a live concern it should come as no surprise to learn that eager punters can only obtain a hard copy of the single at one of JARV IS' gigs (and having checked their forthcoming live dates I rather think I'll be out of luck in getting my grubby mitts on one). Are musicians idiosyncratic? Yes yes yes yes...  

 UPDATE: 24/05 - There's a remix too, which is nice...

Jonnie Common - 'Yippee-Ki-Yay Father Christmas'

One of the joys of occasionally working from home, alongside avoiding the daily commute and gaining easier access to a supply of good coffee, has been the ability to fully savour Lauren Laverne's excellent morning show on BBC 6Music. Between 1000 and 1300, when I'm WFH, it feels as though a muso chum has popped in for a cup of coffee, have a bit of a chat and listen to some good tunes. To say I popped a Villanelle pout when the station announced a shake-up of its daytime programming is something of an understatement (but change is both a good and constant thing, isn't it?).

The People's Playlist is a regular Thursday feature of the show, playing a selection of tracks suggested by listeners that fit that week's selected theme. This week's TPP sought 'Christmas songs that you don't hear on the radio' (which, typically, I missed the announcement of so couldn't suggest this, this or especially this), resulting in a fine selection of offbeat and unusual tunes all interspersed with dialogue from some suitably festive films. 

One of these films regularly splits opinion as to whether it really is a Christmas movie or not. Yes, I am indeed referring to the 1988 feel-good classic, Die Hard. If you're of the mindset that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie then, obviously, you are wrong. It is, very much so. If you've never heard of or seen the film then allow me to provide some details; Die Hard is a heart-warming tale of a man called John who visits his estranged wife, Holly, and their two children for the holidays. Unfortunately their chance to reconnect is interrupted by a team of international terrorists, intent on ruining everyone's plans with a surfeit of guns, some C4 and a rocket launcher. John has to save the day armed only with a string vest, a red Sharpie, some pithy one-liners and a heck of a lot of bullets. 

See, I told you, Christmassy. 

Characters reference Egg Nog, Rudolph and Frosty, plus the soundtrack has two choice Xmas songs. Heck, it's even spun off a kid's book it's THAT festive. To be honest, given my liking of the film (which I watched, again, at the weekend) it was something of a surprise to realise, during The People's Playlist, that someone had written a Christmas song about the film, a song that I hadn't heard; how was this even possible?

Scottish musician Jonnie Common's Yippee-Ki-Yay Father Christmas tells the story of Die Hard in three and a half minutes, delicately enforcing the festive message of the movie and making fists with your toes a sing-along line. It tackles John's character flaws and his predilection for sleeveless under-garments, as well as sombrely recognising the sacrifice one of the supporting characters makes. It's a gem of a song and I'm frankly amazed I've not heard it before now.



Yippee-Ki-Yay Father Christmas came out in 2016, the flip side of a split Die Hard themed 7" released to raise funds for "charities which protect the NHS, support migrants, refugees, victims of rape and domestic abuse, and those who suffer physical or mental disabilities", all causes which sadly need our support in these cold and bitter times.

Discovering this song via Lauren Laverne's show may have reminded me that the world is a scary place, and that not everyone has their John McClane to save the day, but there are thankfully enough people out there who help to make a change just by doing what they do, whether it be writing and performing a song or simply by sharing said song's message across the airwaves. A thank you then to Jonnie Common for this tune, to whoever suggested it for The People's Playlist, and for Lauren and team for playing it. Now I have a Die Hard Christmas song to listen to.. Ho! Ho! Ho!