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Eccentronic Research Council – Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine... I'm Your Biggest Fan

  • Written by  Will Simpson

Temples build and empires fall, and it doesn't mean much to me or Johnny Rocket.

The Low Life Of Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine… [I'm Your Biggest Fan] – a cautionary tale of life in Valhalla, the town like every other British town.

The twisted dark child of whimsical creation, balanced edgily on Sgt. Pepper’s ever-growing nose. The album is not one you would put on for a party but I tell thee this, it's a dramatic work of art in the traditionalist sense: intelligent, creative, haunting and right in the place it should be. My head. With cosmic shuttering on the keys and bouncing kitchen pop bass lines the single ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ may actually be the only song on the album, but everything else is a stage performance from start to finish. A love struck fan falling ever deeper into the aura of frontman and mythical head hunted ego Johnny Rocket. The story centres on life in Valhalla, it feels like an audio book with colour and full narrative infused by the music. Somewhere in the strange universe created, we fall over and look up to see the ceiling is covered in mirrors and the plot requires a rewind and another listen.

‘I Am Your Only Fan’ disturbs the most cynical clusters that have been laid dormant since the days of New Kids On The Block and teeny girl crushes. As the lies continue in our culture the nose grows, the mystery grows – how did we get here? Why are we still living on chips and bread?

Laser beam parties and small town rock bands come to mind but by no means a small album. The style and portrait fuse an iconic, smoky sky under which young girls put on lippy and quiver at rocket man Johnny, running and hiding in his shadow.

“Momentarily gripped by the madness” almost shameless in dialect.

Then we are in the grip of mental illness, the subject closed in the opening track, yet always the backdrop to a running script that gives shivers: “if you want to worship, go to church.” Don't go to rock concerts. When the nightmare version of a track is on an album you better expect some demons. I fear this album and its truth.

Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine... I'm Your Biggest Fan is available from Amazon and iTunes.

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