Album Review: Beans on Toast – Rolling Up The Hill
For the seventh time, it’s December 1st, calling for a point-blank summary of the year according to Beans on Toast. This time around, Jay McAllister has made friends of the country duo, ‘Truckstop Honeymoon’, getting some tasty banjos, drums and bass thrown into McAllister’s initially simplistic setup.
‘Rolling up the Hill’ is as easily described as that sloppy afternoon-meal you throw down your gullet during a hangover… Three simple ingredients:
Firstly…
The Toast.
Hard and crisp, probably a little burned. McAllister has a million cheerful crumbs of enlightenment that will hopelessly spill from the plate and onto your lap. His opinions will ring a harsh truth that may leave a dry taste in your mouth, whether it’s how “the world is in a mess” or the suggestion that “God is a terrorist”, he fearlessly spills the beans on what won’t be broadcasted on your “bullshit” TV. This toast may lack consistency, McAllister’s lyrics will fall out with conventional methods when trying to rhyme words such as ‘taxes’ and ‘seed’ together. It’s a dish that will seem rough around the edges, but the messages sent should not be compromised by forcing lyrics to rhyme. ‘A bit more track in the monitor’ is a song argued with a light-hearted smile, despite criticising those “karaoke-Indie bands” and their incapability for live performance, he uses ironically inappropriate instrumentation to prove his point.
Secondly…
The Butter.
The soft and gooey bit in the middle keeping everything together. Mixed in with all the doom and gloom, McAllister spreads some Utterly-Butterly delight onto your course with teachings of love, friendship and the art of having appreciation for all you are dealt, however deprived you may feel. The pale, yellow fat really starts to melt when he makes comparisons between English and American culture in ‘The Great American Novel’. He met the instrumental accomplices, Katie and Mike West in Kansas, they alleviate McAllister’s salt, adding a Country-Life texture that you never knew was missing.
And last but not least…
The Beans.
You get exactly what it says on the tin. Jay McAllister never fails to disappoint with his chirpy and bitter tones. It’s simple, yet effective, and there’s always that ooze of nostalgia as that dribble of sticky sauce slides its way down your chin.
Despite McAllister’s half-empty pint glass, his tin of Heinz is halfway full. The self-acclaimed drunkard tells morbid tales of poverty, terrorism and traffic jams, but there’s still hope for humanity, and no steaming-hot cup of pessimism will stop Jay from Rolling up the Hill.