Sharon Deans explores a new album released by Workington man Andrew Lillico…..
So, May 28 2021, 4.28pm to be precise, my phone pings and I am at the top of a fell in our beautiful Lake District.
I read the message and it is from my pal Andrew Lillico, known universally as Lil.
He goes on to say he is out and about delivering some copies of his debut album and would I like one dropped off?
Well, I am very keen and answer with a big fat ‘yes please’. I’m excited. I had heard that Lil was making an album and I was eager to hear it.
He dropped a copy off and I pencilled in an afternoon to listen to it when I knew I had the house to myself and I could give it my full attention.
I don’t claim to be a music expert but I love listening to music and I love writing so I decided there and then that I would love to review this album so here we go….I am going to say this from the off, I do not have a negative thing to say about this album.
I am not being sycophantic, I am just being honest. I am someone that speaks my mind and I will offer honest opinions. This album is special for several reasons.
Andrew Lillico’s musical journey
Firstly, I am astounded that this exceptional musical journey has been sitting inside the head of a young man living in good old Workington, our humble little coastal town!
Who knew that such wonderful music was hidden in that lovely head of his?
The content is so varied and intricate, it is a work of absolute beauty which I cannot listen to without getting shivers down my spine with every track.
It is like opening a box of Polo mints and finding an excessive amount of popping candy instead.
Lil has written and arranged all of the music, written all of the lyrics and played most of the instruments himself.
Allan Hall has played drums and Lil’s wife Paula has provided vocals and backing vocals and the album has been produced by Mark D Vaz and Lil.
Phil Doran has also provided vocals and some bass, drums, guitar and backing vocals. Phil has also contributed to some of the writing and producing, notably on the track EXP.
I think music serves many purposes in our lives; we love by music, we cry by music, we die by music, we live and laugh by music, it is an integral part of us as human beings.
It influences our lives so much I actually think it is intricately woven into our DNA. I think we need music to survive. It can lift us up and it can throw us down.
An album is a journey we go on, a path that we follow and it is very emotive.
Radical Ignorance’s teamwork shines through
When I sat down with Radical Ignorance, I felt like I had been taken on a wonderful journey by a musical Willy Wonka, a journey he promises will be full of wild and wonderful things and he delivers in spades.
My personal favourite is the opening track Disguise the Limit and what an opener. It lets you know immediately that you are in for something special.
It grabs you and draws you in and it wraps you round its little finger.
The gorgeous and clear vocals of Paula Lillico are the star of this track I reckon. This song takes you on a journey of shape shifting sounds, twists and turns which are just a delight.
It is reminiscent of a 60s world of sunlight through trees and pretty girls skipping through forests with honey coloured plaits and big white flowers in their hair.
The vocals blend so well, it is excellent vocal teamwork. We move into EXP, a poignant track full of layered guitar and lovely rolling piano…Wow! I feel that this is the most moving track on the album, a real siren song….Intervening happiness is a very competently carried out guitar solo, precisely played and one can only sit back in wonder at the talent here….
I LOVE Hip Flask Flavour! You can almost see this song, A sexy, swaggering, swaying and teasing little number which is definitely strutting its stuff.
It is a playful track with a foxy little superstar voice at its heart. This is a song you must listen to with a whiskey on the rocks in one hand and your feet up on a large purple fluffy pouffe and preferably wearing a smoking jacket. It is cooler than cool.
Swaying rhythms and Henry VIII
Byak Duff is a wonderful cocktail of many sounds, I can hear T-Rex here and it also has a Roaring 20s feel to it, it is all black tuxedos, long cigarette holders and smoky rooms.
We end with big shaggy hair rocking out in a beer soaked room filled with black leather clad legs and sweat soaked torsos clad in black open necked shirts.
We then have what I would call an ‘interval’ song… Worraracket. Raucous, fun-filled guitars while we top up our drinks and get fastened in for the next leg of the journey.
Critics Pudding is a wonderful track full of dancing piano, swaying rhythms and an image of a theatrical setting full of suits, graceful dancing and ruched red velvet curtain and all set on a stage full of drama.
Disguise the Reprise reminded me very much of Henry VIII – it had a Greensleeves style but with a much rockier and sexier sound, a kind of Anne Boleyn but in high heels.
The great thing I love about Radical Ignorance is the variety, the weirdness, the unusual pace and shape shifting quality of it and quite frankly the downright genius of the thing.
The musical layers, the twists and turns make this album so special and the pure musical complexity just shines through. I sat and read all of the lyrics like I would read a book and it is just so impressive lyrically.
The ideas and themes are so unique, so detailed, so well thought out and yes, very eccentric but that just makes it the brilliant piece of work that it is!
Lil I am so proud of this work, it is so impressive and especially as you have created so much of this work yourself. And also to Allan, Paula, Phil and Mark.
You have all created something really special here and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one.
You have made me so proud to be Cumbrian, no, to be a Workingtonian! It really deserves to be out there making a fortune and I mean that.
Some albums are half a lager, this is definitely absinthe – and please, make mine a double!
Buy! Buy! Buy! The added bonus is that sales of the album include a contribution to the charity MIND, so even better. Well done!
SHARON DEANS
Radical Ignorance is available as a CD digipack for £8, with £2 from every album sold going to MIND. Email [email protected] to buy.
