Album Review
The Long Decline
Moribundiing
CD / DL
Out now
(5/5)
The artist formerly known as ‘Kenny Wisdom’, Leigh Goorney and friends including Vic Godard and Mark Perry are The Long Decline. A cult band who should be… a better-known cult act like say, Daniel Johnston or The TV Personalities, sharing as they do, some of the same wayward sensibilities and insights, says Ged Babey.
Are the youth of today still Searching For A Tribe like we were back in the 1970’s and 80’s? And if they are, will it still be a part-of-their ideological make-up fifty years on?
Now it’s the 2020’s I’m not searching for a tribe, I’m in my late-60’s. Maybe bits of me are still hippy, punk and commie… Leigh Goorney half-sings, half-speaks on the albums spiritual sequel to Buckle Up & Join in Lad from 1996.
I write about a lot of artists who are getting on a bit, in their mid-sixties or older …but who am I kidding, they are only a few years older than me (born 1964)… but the thing is, these ‘punk generation veterans’ are making their best music ever – writing songs that need to be written, sung and heard.
Songs that say things like ‘Decency‘ (a word favoured by politicians and liars) is indecent. Songs like To A Better Place about migration. Songs you probably won’t hear on the radio or on Tiktok or on adverts. Songs about moribundiing… (a word they have invented, derived from Moribund (definition) – in terminal decline / on the verge of extinction.)
‘This is gonna be a barrel of laughs’ you might think… but it actually is the most heartfelt, life-affirming album you’ll hear… if you start from the viewpoint that the world has turned to shit of late. Leigh said last year “From our first single (onwards) we have tried to produce music and words to make you think, uplift and inspire.”
I think he’s succeeded. You might not – if you prefer music to be bland, pacifyingly professional and inane. Background noise to drown out the noise of media propaganda.
Moribundiing is a fantastic album, although I have to admit, it took three or four listens to really appreciate it. Art/music shouldn’t always be easy.
I didn’t expect to actually ‘learn’ stuff from this album though, but I did: The Bonobo is a distinct species from the Chimpanzee and the closest extant relative to humans. They have a matriarchal society, are not territorial or aggressive, like to shag a lot and in the opinion of the artist formerly known as Kenny Wisdom, us humans would be a lot better off if we were more Bonobo-like. In fact he thinks some of us are, and the chimps among us are the ones who reach positions of power, and are, to be frank, c*nts. The cover art I assume is a portrait of an imagined Bonobo Leigh, looking regal and wise.
There are two songs on the brilliant, fourth The Long Decline album which talk about the ape. (Tracks 8 and 9)
The title track is a cracker. The guitar solo/theme sounds to me, very similar to Aquarama by Scars. A complete coincidence, ‘Same rhythm and phrasing – not the same notes’ according to Lee, the guitarist, who happens to be a friend on social media. But it’s what drew me in…
Moribundiing, yes with two ‘i’s for some reason finds Leigh Goorney (formerly Kenny Wisdom) and his ever-shifting collaborators pulling together strands of history, politics, and autobiography into a startlingly unified whole. Produced by Cos Chapman (Rude Mechanicals), the record is perhaps the band’s most accomplished to date.
Chapman describes the songs as falling into two arcs: “There’s what I’d call the personal quest… They feel like chapters in an individual odyssey.”
The other cluster looks outward: “Then you have songs asking what’s going on with this world? They confront inequity, survival, and the search for solutions.
What emerges is less a conventional concept album than a kind of musical pareidolia: the sense of an overarching journey created by contrasts, tensions, and thematic echoes. “It’s a mirror,” Chapman says, “part intimate diary, part dispatch from a collapsing world.”
(I couldn’t really put it any better than that – hence not trying to.)
The Long Decline released ‘I’m a Jew’ in 1995. I read about it in the NME I seem to remember. One of the most straight-forwardly brilliant ‘punk rock’ songs ever. It doesn’t mess about, cloud the issue or talk in riddles. It’s just a statement about the artists identity, beliefs and life as a person of Jewish heritage. “I don’t believe in God and I’m certainly not a Zionist…”
It was on the ramshackle but superb debut, self-titled album on Overground Records that came out the following year (RIP John Esplen – a lovely man.) I hate to admit it, but i lost track of the band after that and missed out on the second album, Wisdomism, released in 2000, and Decomposure (2006) – which are both worth seeking out and plans to reissue them are in the pipeline.
In a huge cosmic coincidence I never knew until recently that Leigh Goorney. In 1985 was responsible for the seminal live compilation “Communicate! – Live At Thames Poly”. As booker for the artists at the venue he brought many contemporary and would-be luminaries to its stage – including Nico, Television Personalities, Sonic Youth, The Nightingales – as well as John Robbs Membranes and my ‘latest favourite band’ Your Heterosexual Violence whose guitarist Dave Dodd plays in The Long Decline also on this album!
On the song The Killing Of Kenny Wisdom the singer explains the reasons for dropping his alter-ego and alias – a newfound confidence, maturity, and ironically, wisdom.
Angry Again sums up how a lot of our generation feel, but starts with the most beautiful piece of poetry:
It can be a beautiful world / Where butterflies drink the tears of turtles /Where pigs lie down with leopards / In the ruins of Idi Amins palace.
…and ends with the most fantastic scrabbling cacophony of guitar-playing since Pete Shelleys solo’s on Spiral Scratch.
Sweet Melissa ‘s closing exchange almost brings a tear to the eye…
Oppressive Tranquillity is a personal account of how Eastern mysticism/religion didn’t work for the narrator at that point in his life – and is an absorbing, fascinating piece of out-there music – for people who found ATV’s Vibing… an interesting listen.
The last song – which has Song Title Of The Year, Gold (Not The Banal Spandau Ballet Song) is a brilliant piece as well. And you discover what Leigh feels about people who buy and eat a steak coated in gold-leaf costing £1,450.
A strange and wonderful album – for strange and wonderful people to enjoy. People who are part-hippy, part-punk, part-commie and totally Bonobo-like humans. The kind of people that the Artist Formerly Known As Kenny Wisdom and I like.
Buy from here
All words Ged Babey except press release content in italics
Alternative review of Moribundiing at Slicing Through The Static the first place to cover it.
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
Leave a Reply