<\/p>\n
Discombobulated (Weird World)<\/strong><\/p>\n Richard Dawson has described Hen Ogledd, his collaborative project with Rhodri Davies, Sally Pilkington and Dawn Bothwell, as \u201creally not like a normal band\u201d. Never were truer words spoken. Exhibit A: Discombobulated<\/em>\u2019s extraordinary lead single Scales Will Fall<\/em>, an eight-minute-long anthem for a new people\u2019s revolt \u2013 a rousing rallying cry for marching into battle against \u201ccorporate greed and corporate law<\/em>\u201d that somehow incorporates Dawson\u2019s guitar wizardry, a medieval fanfare chorus and Bothwell\u2019s Scottish \u201cbard rap\u201d.<\/p>\n In holding a mirror up to contemporary reality, the album is understandably complex, bewildering and (yes) discombobulating \u2013 but also frequently brilliant. It\u2019s overtly political too; Dead In A Post-Truth World<\/em> picks up where Scales Will Fall<\/em> left off, savaging Reform\u2019s false promises and scapegoating and the toxic influence of the right-wing media.<\/p>\n But there is solace to be found in nature (Clear Pools<\/em>), and \u201ckinetic, catalysing\u201d resistance to be found in dancing (End Of The Rhythm<\/em>). As fractured, deliriously chaotic and downright weird as Discombobulated<\/em> is, it\u2019s a call for unity and a call to arms.<\/p>\n words BEN WOOLHEAD<\/strong><\/p>\n