What’s in a name? A band going by the name of The Healthy Boy & The Badass Motherfuckers must be sending some sort of message perhaps even a declaration of intent with their choice of moniker. Or they could just be taking the opportunity to drown in irony.
“Carne Farce Camisole”, as it turns out, is a downbeat album with nothing remotely badass or ironic in any of its eight songs. Despite being the work of Benjamin Nerot, all the songs are in English and they betray a dark poetry in their accented words. There is a sense of scale here, however, that lifts the songs out of the mire of self-inflicted pain and flies them instead towards the sunrise. “Triumphs and Victories”, in particular, transforms Mr Nerot into Franco Nero whilst the guitars swell as a counterpoint and while “I’ll Never Take You Along In My Fall” seems, on the surface at least, to impersonate Americana, the spirit is that of Lou Reed’s city streets. It’s an interesting musical conundrum.
If you are looking for an uplifting experience then this will not be the album for you but, that said, there is something appealing about the very bleakness that pervades “Carne Farce Camisole” and that appeal grows in proportion with the time you spend alone with it. The Healthy Boy & The Badass Motherfuckers may sound like they should be doing rap yet their slow walk through the shadows makes more impact than any amount of aggressive rhymes could ever do.
Available from Bandcamp and on vinyl.