Those Who Put Others Ahead Of Themselves

A Certain Ratio? A Christmas song? On my birthday?

Yes, I know I promised no shameless self-promotion today, but I wanted to say a big thank you for all the lovely messages yesterday. I had a lovely evening at Casa K and an especially lovely bonus was a brand new release from A Certain Ratio on my birthday. What could be better?

It wasn't a complete surprise, I'd had advance warning the previous month from ACR's promo mailing list, as follows:

 

Did someone say Christmas?

Yes, we too roll our eyes when we walk into the supermarket 

and see mince pies for sale in November, 

so yes it is too early to be releasing a Christmas single, 

but a Christmas single we have. 

 
Who would have thought it, 

ACR does Christmas.

 
Here is our new EP, 

another ACR surprise for 2024. T

he EP is called Christmasville UK 

and is released on December 11th. 

 

Only 500 have been pressed.

it features 3 remixes by old pals Jane Weaver & Emperor Machine 

and new pals Jezebell, 

who have all remixed tracks from It All Comes Down to This.

 
Plus the brand new track Now and Laughter, 

but we’ll tell you more about that in December.

 

The 12" vinyl sold out in no time, but I ordered the digital EP last Bandcamp Friday and the full gift was delivered and 'unwrapped' yesterday. An official video was released the day before for Now And Laughter.

What can I say? Very much in the vein of It All Comes Down to This, but Christmassy. But without jingle bells on top to gild the lily, as it were.

 

To these ears, there's a very slight relation in the chord sequence to The Pretenders' 2000 Miles, albeit in different key, with different instruments and a rumbling, almost menacing bass and fuzzy undercurrent, so this is a tenuous description to say the least! I'm trying to say it's great and very pleasing to the ears, in other words!

Now And Laughter is "dedicated to workers at the NHS, homeless charities, mental health crisis centres, care homes and all the people who give up their time to help the sick and homeless in our towns and cities" and this is reflected in the heartfelt lyrics. 

 

They also reference Christmas throughout, so the song has been automatically added to the Casa K Christmas playlist for repeated airings over the next few weeks.

 

The three remixes are no mere stocking fillers either, as the list of names above should have indicated. 

 

Jane Weaver turns Where You Coming From into a pulsating, electro earworm, all descending chords and spaced out backing vocals underpinning Jez's vocals.  

Andy Meecham aka The Emperor Machine delivers nearly nine minutes of irresistible body jerking disco funk with his rework of Out From Under, taking ACR back to 1982 and snapping them back like a rubber band into 2024. Placed in any decade, it sounds fantastic. 

The final and bonus birthday delight is the inclusion of long-time Dubhed favourites, the mighty Jezebell aka Jesse Fahnestock and Darren Bell. The dynamic duo put We All Need into the Jezebellearic blender and put the setting on 'pulse'. 

Here's what Jesse and Darren had to say about it:

 

"We've been awfully busy with remix work this year ... 

but when true pioneers come knocking, 

you answer the door. 

 

Chance has brought 

Manchester post-punk/dance legends A Certain Ratio 

and Jezebell together, 

and the results are available today."

 

And boy, do they deliver. It contains all of the elements that I've come to love about their remixes and own work, whilst losing none of A Certain Ratio's character in the mix. I'm already committed but I am confident that if this was your introduction to Jezebell, as it hopefully will be for many ACR fans, then you will want to check out the rest of their music immediately.

The advantage of music over cake (and the supremely talented Mrs K excelled herself this year) is that I can keep going back for more and more in one sitting without falling into sugar-induced unconsciousness. 

On the YouTube page for the Now And Laughter video, A Certain Ratio ask to consider donating to hometown-based initiatives Manchester Homelessness Partnership and Mustard Tree.

 

You may already contribute time and/or money to helping others in different ways. I'm a flawed, imperfect person in so many ways, but setting aside my personal challenges, putting others before myself and giving selflessly whenever and however I can is something I can get with.