A longhaired man with a guitar stands on stage at an iconic London club, strumming the strings and singing for what’s either a rapt or sparse audience—or, perhaps, both. The songs are abundant in riches, however, thanks to lyrics that embrace the proverb many writers (of all stripes) fail to embrace: all is grist to the mill.
The singer-songwriter in question is, of course, Podge Lane, whose lonesome vocals conjure an array of ghosts from the long ago. The 15-song set presents a stellar overview of his oeuvre, including several selections from this year’s Multiple Dead Ends. On album, his one-man band echoes Neil Young circa his Stray Gators days. Stripped to their cores, though less elliptical than Neil’s, the songs maintain that vibe. He reminds me of other yesteryear troubadours, as well, while the subjects he sings about—as is the case for all good songs—transcend the generations. Human foibles and flaws have remained remarkably the same through the ages, after all.
On his website, Lane calls the album—which was recorded in March of this year—as “part concert, part acoustic session, part terrible comedy special.” The funny bits, such as they are, come during the between-song moments. Sometimes it’s best to let the music speak for itself, I think, as the patter slows the flow. That said, the introduction of “Common Sense” is quite disarming: “There are three times in your life that you will be told that you lost your common sense: when you are drunk, when you fall in love, and when you decide that music is a viable career option. Ladies and gentlemen, I am living proof that all three have happened to the same human being, sometimes at the same time.”
As a whole, however, How to Make Noise When Nobody’s Watching is a compelling set that should hit home for all who enjoy singer-songwriters of both long ago and today, such as Hayley Reardon and Niamh Regan.
The Old Grey Cat 