Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

One More Grain

Pigeon English

Label: Victory Garden Records Release Date: 02/04/2007

22757
domgourlay by Dom Gourlay April 4th, 2007

Pigeon English is a perfect example of a record that doesn't quite make sense first time through, but by the third or fourth listen all becomes clear.

This seven-track album-slash-EP certainly isn't the easiest of listens to begin with, as the diverse range of sounds and spoken-word allusions take some getting used to. But once you've parked yourself comfortably in One More Grain's paeans to the Lake District, bad lawyers and Roman roads, it becomes increasingly difficult to let go.

Essentially the brainchild of Lancaster born and bred Daniel Patrick Quinn – now a resident of London – One More Grain traverse the whole spectrum of avant-garde post-rock luminaries such as Miles Davis, Pere Ubu and Arab Strap. Parts of this record almost sound like a medieval wedding ceremony conducted by Mark E Smith.

'Against King Moron' is essentially Quinn's tirade against people in the law profession, as his ramblings digress "30 years of shuffling paper, 30 years of shoving paper up your arse; but I never wanted to be king" over a shuffling beat that's reminiscent of someone like Radical Dance Faction or Los Planetos Del Agua.

'Northern' and 'Down Roman Roads' are both celebrations of what lies at the northern-most end of the M6, as tales of going through Penrith, crossing the border, climbing the hills and watching cars go by actually sound more fascinating than they should, once again narrated by Quinn's deadpan drawl and aided by the eerie trumpet playing of Andrew Blick. Final track 'Won't Get Fooled Again' - no, not a cover version of you know who, although the odd bass riff does sound a tad familiar - is the aforementioned bride-and-groom stand-off that doesn't involve Bryan Adams or Meat Loaf, and is probably the most idyllic way to bring such an intrinsically weird yet wonderful record to an end.

Quite simply what their next record holds in store is anyone's guess, but you can bet your bottom dollar that if this is One More Grain's 'First Big Weekend', then their 'Long Hot Summer' should be well worth the wait.

  • 7
    Dom Gourlay's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year 2025


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing



Left-arrow

Monkey Swallows the Universe

Little Polveir

Mobback
22752
22756

Big City

Ex-Snowman EP

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year 2025

  • 106149
  • news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145

    news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143
  • news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141

    news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139
  • Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138

    Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137
  • Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
MORE


    feature


    The Critic Sleeps Alone Tonight... Fighting Ove...

  • 93699
  • Interview


    Person of the Year 2014: Meredith Graves - Inte...

  • 98657

    In Depth


    One-Hit Wonders: Our 12 all-time favourites

  • 95806
  • news


    Can You Help?

  • 105927

    Interview


    DiS Meets Tori Amos: "You have to be able to si...

  • 95677
  • Staff-generated


    Year 2000 - A Playlist of Songs Wot Soundtracke...

  • 53565

    Column


    DiS Does Singles 22.04.13: Daft Punk, Savages, ...

  • 89944
  • review


    Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

  • 7335
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND