If there was such a thing as classic John Grant, it would be title track, ‘Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’. Steeped in textbook songwriting with lush, sweeping, cinematic orchestration, there are killer chord changes abound and familiar yet fresh melody lines.

 
Grant is quoted as saying that ‘Grey tickles’ is the literal translation from the Icelandic for ‘mid-life crisis’, while ‘black pressure’ is the direct translation from Turkish for ‘nightmare’. But such insight aside, ‘Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’ still feels intensely evocative yet precise. It’s one of a plethora of examples present to evidence John Grant’s extraordinary skill with the written word (as if we didn’t know already). Turns out he’s not a bad songwriter either.
 
There are no shocking revelations of style or subject matter on GTBP. Grant clearly recognised that the majority of previous output, ‘Queen of Denmark’ and ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, was far from broken. As a result, GTBP feels like a natural evolution of much of what preceded it. It is a highly impressive evolution, though; a beautiful union of Grant’s growth as a writer, John Congleton’s creative production and Bobby Sparks’ funky magic on all things keyboard.
 
Even though there’s so much happening on GTBP, I’m hard pushed to recall such a cohesive collection of songs. Much of this cohesion is achieved through informed track placement – ‘Snug Slacks’, ‘Guess How I Know’ and ‘You & Him’ form an attitude-heavy energised front section to the LP, perfectly flanked by ‘Down Here’ and the change of pace and energy it provides. The most impressive section, however, consists of ‘Global Warming’, ‘Magma Arrives’ and ‘Black Blizzard’; three songs that are linked via subject matter but also flow, build and grow on from one another.
 
‘Global Warming’ is the most conventional of the three, with a delicate synth intro unfolding into typical Grant territory – lilting orchestration, sweeping choruses and gentle, soulful verses. There’s more than just a hint of Midlake (a nod back to ‘Queen Of Denmark’) wholesomeness, too, with a languid bassline and a distinctive leadline. Both ‘Magma Arrives’ and ‘Black Blizzard’ are great marriages of production and lyrics. An explosive arrangement of bleeding bass and drums to mirror the volcanic nature of Magma’s lyric, whereas swirling, nagging synths and tip-tapping hi hats create an uneasy flurry around the menacing and foreboding chorus of ‘Black Blizzard’. It’s a quite brilliant combination of lyrical and sonic imagery.
 
Environmental concerns are not the only themes threaded through GTBP -, in fact, Grant has an uncanny knack of combining his favourite things (quite apart from an actual list of his favourite things in ‘Disappointing’): self-criticism, a low tolerance of fools and colourful use of language are the norm.
 
‘Snug Slacks’ even goes as far as to create a popular culture food chain:
 
“By the way, I got tickets to see Joan Baez tonight.
Oh – I guess I misunderstood. I never heard of Joan as Policewoman.
But I do like me some Angie Dickinson.
And let’s be clear – Joan Baez makes GG Allen look like Charlene Tilton.”
 
One of his finest moments is a rarer combination. The mix of humour and sensitivity displayed in ‘Voodoo Doll’ gives you an insight into Grant’s understanding of the ‘dark dog’ and his sympathy with its sufferers:
 
“I made a voodoo doll of you and I gave it some chicken soup
Did you feel any warmth down deep inside? / Did you feel how your blues went away and died?
 
I made a voodoo doll of you / I even put it in a corduroy jumpsuit
Cause I thought that's what you'd do / If you had the opportunity to choose”.
 
Its maudlin verse is countered by a Bernie Worrell-style laser-sharp lead synth line from Sparks in the chorus to give the song the type of lift that a friend supporting someone in the depths of depression may do with a simple act of unconditional love.
 
It’s not the only place where the concept of love is raised. ‘Disappointing’ is a love song like no other where all of Grant’s favourite things (Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Vysotsky and Lev, to name but a few) pale into significance when compared to his lover.
 
That’s not to say Grant can’t do a bit of fury, either. ‘You & Him’ (which also features Amanda Palmer and Banshees drummer Budgie) is an ode to hate:
 
“You and Hitler ought to get together
You oughta learn to knit and wear matching sweaters.”
 
The juxtaposition of Kraftwerk-lite verses with the twisted glam rock chorus shout-out that simply drips with lyrical bile is a complete pleasure.
 
GTBP signs off with ‘No More Tangles’ and ‘Geraldine’, which may feel like old friends for long-standing Grant fans. Long, curling lines of melody are carefully painted over melancholy verses in ‘No More Tangles’ as its movielike arrangement looms in the background. ‘Geraldine’ has a filmic quality to the composition that twins it very nicely with ‘No More Tangles’. It also boasts an airy, lithe chorus and a very deliberate and reserved quality; its slow fade guides the listener down gently to the conclusion of a wholly satisfying record.
Adam Atkins