Essentially the project of one David Bramwell, a northerner relocated to Brighton, Oddfellow's Casino have released seven albums in their 15-year existence and take their name from Ambrose Oddfellow, a Victorian freakshow host whose moustache Bramwell inherited from a great-aunt. The author of several books focussing on notable eccentrics and regional oddities, and the creator and presenter of quirky documentaries for BBC Radios 3 and 4, Bramwell found a kindred spirit in John Higgs, whose most recent book, Watling Street, explores notions of Britishness by way of the country's oldest road and the events that occurred along its route. Higgs commissioned Bramwell to write a song to accompany the book, and 'The Ghosts of Watling Street' forms the centrepiece of this album. It also features a spoken-word contribution from the great Alan Moore, who intones, "We have wandered too far from some ancient totem - something central to us, that we must find our way back to."
Oh, Sealand is clearly concerned with the question of Britain, but avoids any easy answers. Its clearest statement comes in the opening track, 'Land of the Cuckoo', where over ominous, pulsing bass, Bramwell sings: "There's a fox in the schoolyard/ they're in the hospitals now" in a barely veiled warning against allowing profit-focussed corporations to insinuate themselves into essential public institutions. The song 'Sealand' is described as an unofficial anthem for the independent principality of Sealand, the micro-nation founded on a disused Maunsell Sea Fort seven miles off the Suffolk coast. Seized from rival pirate radio broadcasters in 1967, its story is one of dubious and desperate free enterprise combined with English eccentricity at its most belligerent and aggressive. If the track sounds more like a lament for lost dreams than a celebration of island utopias, the line "We'll take this land by force" undermines any idealistic ideas about Sealand's history. Instead the song raises the question of what exactly constitutes a nation, and draws implicit parallels with the larger island this libertarian outpost in the North Sea defines itself against.
Musically, Oddfellow's Casino deals in tuneful, anglocentric and mildly experimental electro-acoustic pop that joins the dots between Pentangle and The Pet Shop Boys, Basil Kirchin and British Sea Power. There are echoes too of the literate, introverted indie of Animals That Swim or The Lilac Time. 'The Ghosts of Watling Street' is the album's most radio-friendly moment, riding a confident and catchy guitar riff and a bucolic melody worthy of Fried-era Julian Cope: you barely notice the missing chorus, which just never arrives.
The seven-minute 'Down in the Water' is the other strong pop moment, enlivened by Rachel James's soulful vocals, Numan-esque synths and a stomping glam rhythm. Images of drowned villages and people sleeping underwater become Jungian totems of sublimated sexuality. 'Swallow The Day' is pastoral psychedelia of the lightest kind, while 'Danu' is a spoken-word piece following the course of the River Don over a bed of electronic drones and sparse piano. The determined fuzz bass of 'Children Of The Rocks' contrasts with the unadorned piano and plaintive vocals of 'Josephine', a simple love song that uses imagery of the English landscape to convey its emotional message.
Matters come to a head on 'Penda's Fen', which expands on the themes of Alan Clarke's justly acclaimed 1974 BBC film - itself a complex allegory of history and sexuality, folklore, fantasy and family ties - to become a song about conflicted feelings of national identity. Beneath the motorways and factories, the politics and the patriotic posturing, there remains something older and primal. 'I am your son," Bramwell sings, over an uncharacteristically squalling electric guitar riff, "how can I show my love?"
Do we have to go back to go forward? Is it necessary to reclaim the Britain of Blake and Boudicca from the flag-waving xenophobes, or are all notions of nationality best left behind as we progress into a future where borders become irrelevant? Is Sealand something worth fighting for? John Higgs recently defined the opposite of terrorism as wonderism: affecting change through deliberate acts of joy and wonder. Oh, Sealand is a wonderist intervention in the name of a different definition of Britain: one where mystery is currency and love, rather than fear, is what unites these islands' disparate tribes.
Read this article:
Oddfellow's Casino - The Quietus
- Sealand firing times 4 to 22 January 2021 - GOV.UK - GOV.UK - January 13th, 2021
- Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Expected To Reach Highest CAGR By 2026: Agrabase, Rockwell Automation, Fairlawn Tool, Herker Industries,... - January 13th, 2021
- Winter visitors: Seals popping up on beaches along the Outer Banks - OBXToday.com - January 9th, 2021
- Kent from the skies in the 1970s and 80s - Kent Online - January 9th, 2021
- Maersk completes brand integration - Fruitnet - January 5th, 2021
- The day Wrexham FC were Palace party-poopers and hit Charlton Athletic for six - LeaderLive - January 5th, 2021
- Will Self on being ennobled in the New Year's honours list - The New European - January 3rd, 2021
- Who Are Seal And Heidi Klum's Four Kids? | TheThings - TheThings - December 10th, 2020
- In the wake of rebrand controversy, Fletcher must learn to value community opinions - Tufts Daily - December 10th, 2020
- Bad Sex in Fiction Award Is Canceled, as 2020 Was Bad Enough - The New York Times - December 10th, 2020
- Spire Recovery Solutions Proudly Supports Fallen Military Heroes and Their Families - insideARM.com - December 10th, 2020
- Giving Powered by Matching Gifts - West Liberty University News & Media Relations - December 10th, 2020
- Great white shark attacks seal and leaves half-eaten carcass floating in harbour - Daily Star - December 10th, 2020
- Boston Celtics: The Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson debate - Hoops Habit - December 10th, 2020
- Skip Alston Named Chairman Of The Board A Sixth Time - The Rhino TImes - December 10th, 2020
- LaRose issues statement on House passage of HB 473 - The Highland County Press - December 10th, 2020
- MOL vessel GAS AGILITY Undergoes LNG Bunkering to the world's largest LNG fueled container vessel - American Journal of Transportation - November 22nd, 2020
- The Navy is offering bonuses up to $125,000 to keep SEAL officers in uniform - Business Insider - Business Insider - November 22nd, 2020
- Veterans Day Observed with Caution in Great Falls - Virginia Connection Newspapers - November 22nd, 2020
- The spirits of Christmas: drinkable homemade gifts recipes - The Guardian - November 22nd, 2020
- Shipping industry welcomes IMO decision to give further consideration to USD 5 billion fund to accelerate decarbonization - American Journal of... - November 22nd, 2020
- Castor Oil for Hair: The Pros and Cons, According to Experts - MarieClaire.com - November 22nd, 2020
- At-home medication disposal to address rise in overdoses - Gainesville Sun - November 22nd, 2020
- Innovative retail concept Egg to launch in SA this November - Bizcommunity.com - November 17th, 2020
- JPG on board as Airfields progresses - Place North West - November 17th, 2020
- Sealand firing times 26 October to 13 November 2020 (Updated 26 October 2020) - GOV.UK - October 27th, 2020
- Going green grows jobs and cuts pollution - IOL - October 27th, 2020
- Another link in the chain - UNC Chapell Hill - October 9th, 2020
- Global and Asia Pacific Myristyl Alcohol (CAS 112 72 1) Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2027 Best Companies included in report KLK OLEO, KAO... - October 9th, 2020
- Fighting hunger with the Million Meal Movement - WISHTV.com - October 9th, 2020
- Diving into the history of the Marlborough Sounds reveals a much-changed seascape - Stuff.co.nz - October 9th, 2020
- Hundreds break covid rules to watch 'illegal street race' over the border - North Wales Live - September 18th, 2020
- Third attempt to build 150 homes on Chester flood risk area branded 'nonsense' - Cheshire Live - September 18th, 2020
- The full list of North Wales schools which have reported coronavirus cases - North Wales Live - September 18th, 2020
- Do you remember these golden goals? Welsh stars who have scored real belters - LeaderLive - June 20th, 2020
- Heres Why Sealand Capital Galaxy (LON:SCGL) Must Use Its Cash Wisely - Simply Wall St - March 24th, 2020
- Man who went to see son play in band caught drink-driving on way home - LeaderLive - March 24th, 2020
- Man stabbed 56 times tells court his friend attacked him on night he's 'living over and over' - North Wales Live - March 5th, 2020
- 26 Sustainability efforts of the fashion industry in February 2020 - FashionUnited UK - March 5th, 2020
- Meet the kind-hearted truck driver who has helped feed Wrexham's homeless every week for years - LeaderLive - March 5th, 2020
- Meet the sponsor: Sealand Pacific Seafood Trading - Caterer Middle East - March 2nd, 2020
- Reporter takes to the skies: Qualicum Beach flight school now up and running - vancouverislandfreedaily.com - March 2nd, 2020
- Photographer from Deeside on 'cloud nine' with accolade - LeaderLive - February 27th, 2020
- China firms in $10 billion share sale rush as funding rules eased amid virus worries - Reuters - February 27th, 2020
- The Lunar New Year's most talked-about watches - High Horology Journal - February 27th, 2020
- Christmas saved in Sealand as Santa will be coming to the town - LeaderLive - November 30th, 2019
- Rare images of Chester FC's Sealand Road home after it's closure in 1990 - Cheshire Live - October 31st, 2019
- Major police incident on Sealand Road as Texaco garage was shut off to public - Cheshire Live - October 27th, 2019
- Sealand Capital Galaxy (LON:SCGL) Will Have To Spend Its Cash Wisely - Simply Wall St - October 27th, 2019
- Bloodied stab victim collapsed on Texaco garage floor while the other 'bought beer and energy drinks' - Daily Post - October 27th, 2019
- Moshe Oved silver ring, rare British petrol pump globe and William Gladstone's grandfather clock six auction highlights that caught bidders' eyes in... - October 27th, 2019
- Appeal launched over refusal of plans to store cars and caravans on green barrier land in Sealand - Deeside.com - October 20th, 2019
- Coleg Cambria volunteers clean-up streets and rivers of Deeside for community event - Wales247 - October 20th, 2019
- Land and whole farms launched as supply improves in Wales - FarmersWeekly - August 18th, 2017
- Almost 800 drivers caught by new boundary road speed camera in three months - The Chester Standard - August 16th, 2017
- Almost 800 drivers caught by new boundary road speed camera in three months - LeaderLive - August 14th, 2017
- Sealand Natural Resources, Inc. (OTCMKTS:SLNR) Files An 8-K Other Events - Market Exclusive - August 13th, 2017
- What You Must Know About Sealand Capital Galaxy Limited's (LSE:SCGL) Major Investors - Simply Wall St - August 10th, 2017
- Sealand Capital Galaxy Ltd (SCGL) Is Yet to See Trading Action on Aug 9 - Herald KS - August 9th, 2017
- Chester floodplain housing scheme unanimously rejected - ChesterChronicle.co.uk - August 5th, 2017
- sealand | eBay - August 3rd, 2017
- Chaiken Money Flow For Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) Above Zero - Stock Rover - August 3rd, 2017
- Zeroing in on Yesterday's High: Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) - Nelson Research - August 3rd, 2017
- Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) Mesa Moving Average Climbs Above FAMA - JCTY News - August 2nd, 2017
- What Do The Technicals Boil Down To For Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR)? - Rockville Register - August 1st, 2017
- Late night shopping scheme in Chester sees Park & Ride services extended - ChesterChronicle.co.uk - July 30th, 2017
- Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) Ichimoku Reveals Negative Momentum - Rockville Register - July 29th, 2017
- What Kind of Picture Are the Technicals Painting For Sealand Capital Galaxy Limited (SCGL.L)? - Concord Register - July 26th, 2017
- What Kind of Picture Are the Technicals Painting For Sealand ... - Concord Register - July 26th, 2017
- Sealand | Fifth World Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia - July 22nd, 2017
- Sealand - Wikitravel - July 22nd, 2017
- Range Rover invasion at Chester supermarket site - ChesterChronicle.co.uk - July 20th, 2017
- Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) Pushes Higher 37.14% - DARC News - July 20th, 2017
- WATCH: New Oddfellow's Casino - The Quietus - July 19th, 2017
- Students create app to improve post-stroke care - USC News - July 18th, 2017
- Sealand Natural Resources Inc (SLNR) is a Volume Leader - Nelson Research - July 13th, 2017
- Flooding on Chester's Sealand Road after downpour - ChesterChronicle.co.uk - July 11th, 2017
- About Sealand - Become a Lord, Lady, Baron or Baroness - July 9th, 2017
- Neighborhood Notes: the first week of July - Mission Local - July 8th, 2017
- Maersk ransomware attack may hit 'tens of thousands' of shippers, warns analyst - The Loadstar - June 30th, 2017