You've got nothing intelligent to say, and no one's listening to you anyway

Ballboy- the sash my father wore and other stories

Ballboy is a Scottish group that hails from Edinburgh whose music can best be described as having a acoustic feel to it, but with a twist. Ballboy are Gordon McIntyre who sings, plays guitar and writes lyrics, Nick Reynolds (Bass), Alexa Morrison (Keyboards) and Gary Morgan (Drums).

This album has much more of a developed and mature feel to it than previous Ballboy albums ("Club Anthems" and "A Guide for Daylight Hours"). 'the sash my father work and other stories' also features strings from Pete Harvey and Caroline Evans.

Ballboy are by no means a well known band, but have a well established fan base and received great acclaim from press and media across the UK after recording sessions for the late great John Peel's show four times and being featured in his 'Festive Fifty' three years in succession.

The CD comes in a cardboard case with a simple white design (as shown in the photograph); it has no inlay, just the copyright information printed on the inside, and track listing on the rear.

Tracks

1. Welcome to växjō - The opening track is a fantastic start to the album and a great introduction to Ballboy. This track was the first track I'd ever heard and got me wanting to hear more. It's very easy to listen to and (this track especially) you can imagine drifting off to sleep whilst it's playing. It sets the tone perfectly for what is a very chilled out album.
"Though I'm leaving when the light comes, I still love you, More than you'll know,"

2. I gave up my eyes to a man who was blind - This track (which is available to download for free from http://www.ballboymusic.com/downloads/#sash) is thought of by some fans as the pick of the album. The lyrics are spectacular, and I would really recommend giving it a listen from the Ballboy website; McIntyre's turn of phrase is really very beautiful.
"And all I have left, is the heart in my chest, And I'd give it to you, if I thought you'd be impressed, But what would you do, with a heart split in two, And a heart that won't work, Is of no use to you."

3. Tell me - A cover of 'Tell Me' by Galaxie 500 who have been described by Gordon McIntyre as "defunct label mates of ours." Tell Me is a short track that I don't really have much to say about. Not a stand-out track but fits well into the album.
"Step inside these shoes, And see things as I do,"

4. Stronger hearts than mine lie empty -McIntyre's beautiful lyrics really shine here, an astounding track with a melancholy tune that really sticks in your head.
"And tears go dry, And bodies fail, And stronger hearts than mine lie empty, And sex and drugs, And rock and roll, Won't change the way that I feel now,"

5. The sash my father wore - The title track is not a pipes and drums cover version of the famous Ulster Unionist ditty but about bigotry in Scotland. It has been called by some a "savage attack on Glasgow Rangers". A great track to listen to; very fun and boasts the rather unexpected line (considering the style of music)... "you're a big fat bigoted a*sehole"

"You've got Billy tattooed on your neck, And a Union Jack above your bed, You've got nothing intelligent to say, And no-one's listening, to you anyway,"

6. You should fall in love with me -A lovely tune, again not a stand-out track, but fits fantastically into the album.
"And the cemetery will get me in the end, But the cemetery's not ready for me yet."

7. Dutch trance - a cover of 'Dutch Trance' by Khaya, who are another of ballboy's "defunct label mates!" This is a track that on first listen seems to blend in to the album, but grows and grows on the listener.
"And the song that moves me most, Is on the radio, And I can't stop crying, It reminds me, Of things we never said, And I can't stop crying."

8. Kiss me, hold me and eat me - A track about two cannibals who fall in love but do not want to get too involved because they would not be able to resist eating each other. A really fun track which despite the humorous subject manages to sound beautiful and enchanting thanks to McIntyre.
"Once upon a time long ago, A boy and girl fell in love even though, They knew the risk, They were cannibals, They could not afford to get too close, They knew the risk, They were afraid to kiss, In case they ate each other whole."

9. Born in the USA - A beautiful acoustic cover of Bruce Springsteen's anti-war 'Born in the USA' is an unexpected pleasure, and in this version the lyrics are able to really shine through. When performed live the song was introduced as a protest song about war. McIntyre is quoted as saying "I think most people I know with any sort of brain think [the war] should never have happened, and if something needed to be done, then it wasn't the best way to go about doing it. I have great concerns about America trying to rule the world anyway, and post-Iraq, it's hard to look on it as anything but imperialism or empire building really…"
"I got in a little hometown jam, So they, so they put a rifle in my hand, And they sent me off to a foreign land, To go and kill the yellow man."

10. I need two hearts -Another track that is available to download for free from the Ballboy website. Well worth a listen; a short repetitive yet McIntyre's voice makes it a glorious track.
"I need two hearts, One to breathe with, And one to give away,"

11. Past lovers -A great end to a great album. Has been released as a single, and is a fantastic stand-alone track too.
"Let's not talk about the others, Let's not talk about past lovers, There are things you have inside of you, It's better not to know."

I was first introduced to Ballboy by a friend back in 2004, this album was released in 2003 and a quick search has shown that it might be a little difficult to get hold of currently. It is listed on Amazon but is marked as "Availability: Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock." I would suggest EBAY and if this is fruitless then other Ballboy albums appear to be readily available on both Play and Amazon.

The Ballboy website [http://www.ballboymusic.com] has a selection of their songs available for free download and pod-casts too. It also has all the lyrics listed which are not included with the CD -well worth a quick peek!

One reviewer writes that Ballboy are "far more than a bunch of amusingly titled songs and twee, lo-fi indie sensibilities. They're fresh, witty, at times heart-rending, and certainly fed up of lazy comparisons to Belle & Sebastian." Lazy, though the comparison undoubtedly is; if you are a fan of Belle & Sebastian you should definitely check out Ballboy, and if you find Belle & Sebastian's music too "slow-burning" for your musical palette, you aren't going to be overwhelmed by Ballboy's musical offerings.

For myself, Ballboy are a fantastic band; this album is one that I regularly pull out to listen to again; and in today's world of illegal downloads and pay-per-track mentality finding an album that you can still appreciate as that, as an album rather than a collection of singles, is a rare and wondrous thing.

Recommended? Indeed.

"Ballboy are like that bloke you always meet on the train who tells you a new chapter of his life story whenever you see him, or the housewife you bump into everyday down the corner shop giving you the latest gossip on the girl next door.
You know you shouldn't really give a toss but when they tell 'em like that you'd be a fool not to listen."
Drowned In Sound http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/6741)