Dr Strangely Strange - Kip Of The Serenes: Collectors Edition

The fact that the Stranglies were Dublin-based, friends of The Incredible String Band and managed and produced by Joe Boyd should be enough to allow you, in your mind’s ear, to hear them. Thankfully, however, it’s not that simple. The title of the opener, Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal explains some of their everlasting charm and deserved cult status, for this album is a rich and rewarding mix of both. Dr Dim & Dr Strange underlines their debt to The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter but, on tracks such as Roy Rogers, they are more oddly normal, more approachable than the ISB. Their song structures often belie the homely, but nevertheless very genuine weirdness of the lyrics – just listen to On The Westcork Hack for evidence.The variety in their playing and instrumentation, the Stranglies’ love of counterpoint and, above all, the sheer fun in the songs makes Kip… a sheer joy from start to finish. Along with a great job on the remastering, Hux have added a significant amount of bonus material, including Ivan Pawles’ classic Mirror, Mirror. Highly recommended and oddly catchy.