One problem with the music of the 80s was the way it saddled some talented musicians with the burden of being 80s pop stars.
Nik Kershaw had it all, with synthesisers in his music and a mullet haircut. Some will remember the title of his best known hit "Wouldn't It Be Good?" while everyone else will probably remember the tune if they heard it again. But what happened to Nik? Did he go off, get a proper haircut and get a real job or did he go and sit in a cupboard to wait for the 80s revival? The truth is that Nik went away and honed his pop songwriting skills and in 1998 returned with the album "15 Minutes" to show people just how badly they underestimated his abilities.
I spotted "15 Minutes" in JB Hi Fi one day where it had been relegated to a $5 bargain bin. I bought it out of curiosity - I had no idea what had happened to Nik and wondered whether he could still sound relevant. I never expected to be as blown away by it as I was. If I had ever got around to assembling my best of 2002 list, it would have appeared under the heading "my discovery of the year".
What Nik does is all too rare in the world of slicked up pop music: he creates pop music imbued with intelligence. That's not to say it's sombre and rigid: his lyrics zing, his guitars chime, crunch and roar and his hooks hook like few do. It's the kind of music that makes you bounce around and grin stupidly without feeling guilty about it.
Since his 80s success, Nik has been working quietly behind the scenes, writing and producing material for and with others (including Elton John). Listening to "15 Minutes", you're hearing someone who has mastered the art of the commercial pop song. His songs are wonderfully constructed pieces of ear candy and in some ways remind me of Fleetwood Mac's legendary Lindsey Buckingham who, like Nik, seems to have the knack of knowing how to take a song and buff it so that the production elevates the song without overwhelming it or tearing it to shreds.
Listening to Nik's classic "Wouldn't It Be Good" now, the songwriter under the big production is readily apparent. The song is driven by drums and a guitar riff, and hearing the cheesy keyboard line makes me wonder whether it was originally part of the song or whether it was something the producer decided to add to reinforce the melody of the chorus. Lyrically, there's nothing there that's going to change the world but there's a cohesion to it which I wouldn't expect in pop-by-numbers.
On "15 Minutes", Nik opens strongly with rumbling organ, some percussion and a few bold guitar figures. His vocals are strong and clear, weaving melody up to a chorus where the song begins to open up. Drums kick in, guitars riff with more aggression and just when it's starting to suck you in, the next verse hurries through and climbs into the chorus again. Vocals build on vocals, guitars build on guitars and often, climb up under the vocals to lift those as well. It's intoxicating in it's construction.
From there there's a brief lull with heartfelt sentiments for Nik's son ("Have A Nice Life") which is followed by the sharp social commentary of "Billy":
Billy is a new man, he does the best he can
To figure out what it's about and what the hell he's meant to be
He does the right thing when expected, nuff respect
Once in a while he likes a smoke and a joke
Just as long as it's P.C.
And he thinks that he cries at the movies
'Cos he's in touch with his feminine side
Sally wants a proud man
Sally wants a proud man
Sally wants a proud man
But she's taken all his pride
You won't catch Britney singing pop music like this. She certainly can't write images that are as simple and intriguing as this from "Find Me An Angel":
I can feel this body moving, it's like I'm going for a ride
It's on automatic pilot, nothing going on inside
Yeah I dress it in Versace and I feed it a la carte
But there's no fire in its belly, there's no passion in its heart
Too often, pop music that displays some self awareness seems to try too hard but with Nik it just feels like honesty. "Angel" ripples and sways, the vocal drifting over layered electric guitar patterns that seem too subtle to be described simply as riffs. It's on songs like this that you can appreciate that Nik is a guitarist who knows how to use the infinite capabilities of the instrument in pop music (and not just as an exclamation mark like Garbage sometimes do). The surprise for some people here is perhaps that Nik is so guitar-centric (if there's a synth there, you probably won't hear it for the guitars).
The subsequent "Your Brave Face" is undeniably guitar-based, propelled by fat riffing and loaded with a big anthemic chorus. There's big drums and a dramatic breakdown, the big gestures which are always fun in pop music when done properly,as they are here.
Then we get the cleverly-placed "What Do You Think Of It So Far?", doing the whole mid-life crisis thing in the middle of the album:
Five days a week for a slice of pie
Six pack of beer for an anaesthetic
You laugh a lot but you don't know why
And you don't seem to care 'bout that
Life goes on, life goes on
You don't know what you've got 'til it's almost gone
and you won't see Michael Jackson singing this from "God Bless":
Heaven help old Joseph Bloggs in his cardboard box
Reaching out his hand for a piece of me
Heaven give his dog a bone, leave my conscience well alone
Then make them jump about as happy as can be
The delight with Nik is that the music comes first, that's what will hook you through means obvious and subtle, but then bits of his sharp lyrics will jump out unexpectedly only to be swept away again by the next squall of guitars.
I could go on through the rest of it but there's too much to savour, too much interesting detail to dissect it all and do it justice.
Nik doesn't boast the greatest voice you've ever heard but the key thing is that there's an attitude to his singing, a real sense of character. I guess you could describe Tom Waits like that but remember this is pop music so I don't mean there's anything avant garde about it. His vocals are constantly swooping and climbing, weaving beguiling melodic lines through everything. He even approaches falsetto in places, such as in the bridge of "Stranger Than Fiction".
"15 Minutes" concludes with some power anthems: the epic "Made In Heaven", "Shine On" and finally, the title track where Nik takes delight in addressing his own fame:
Fifteen minutes, that's all you get
One quarter hour, to get it all together
That's nine hundred seconds to make your bed
And don't go hesitating
'Cos someone else is waiting for his
Fifteen minutes
Fifteen minutes
Fifteen minutes to show the world
Of course, the key to that song isn't just the delicious lyrics but the whole uplifting nature of the music. That's how I view this album, as a pop album that is smart and muscular and most importantly, fun to listen to. If you see "15 Minutes" somewhere and you've got a thing for that kind of pop music, snap it up, you may be as surprised as I was. And then, like me, you might find yourself wanting to tell everyone.
P.S. If you do like it, hunt down a copy of it's followup "To Be Frank". It's a little less muscle and a bit more pop but it's still smart and the song "Get Up" has not one but (almost unnecessarily) two brilliant hooks.
15 Minutes review:
All Music Guide -
The War Against Silence
To Be Frank reviews: Pop Matters
- The War Against Silence
- figgle
- In Music We Trust
