Jahwise Hammer of the Babylon King

[imomus]

After Mr Proctor and Widow Twanky, here's another video single from the forthcoming Momus album Joemus.

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The song, co-written by Joe Howe and Nick Currie, is set to images from the film that inspired it: Rockers (1978) by Ted Bafaloukos. Made in 1978, Rockers features some of the outstanding reggae musicians of the time in cameo roles as themselves: Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall, Gregory "Jah Tooth" Isaacs, Jacob "Jakes" Miller, Robbie Shakespeare, Kiddus I, Burning Spear, Big Youth and Dillinger.

My song is a tribute not just to the Bafaloukos film (which I watched over and over in a snowed-in house in Hokkaido in 2005) but specifically to the walking styles of its actor-musicians, which I find inspiringly free and expressive.

The music is my chopped-up, rearranged version of the Germlin backing track for our Ashes to Ashes cover, which appeared on the 7" vinyl box set Recovery. Other videos of songs which appear on the Joemus album: Thatness and Thereness and The Next Time. And you can see Joe and me performing a rocking live version of Jahwise Hammer at Stereo in Glasgow last July about four minutes into this video (includes me attempting to emulate some of the silly walks).



The Joemus album is available from Cherry Red in the UK, Darla in the US, and on Amazon (US and UK). It's officially due on November 18th (US) and 24th (UK), but some reports suggest copies are shipping already.

Comments

[eclectiktronik.livejournal.com]

On the subject of new releases, here's one I made earlier, to coin a phrase. Hope you like it!

[(Anonymous)]

My favourite song on 'Joemus' changes every time I revisit - at the moment it's definitely 'Fade to White' which is just spectacular. I love the guitar on it.
Elsewhere 'The Man You'll Never Be' is also beatiful and I like the way 'Dracula' revisits the old themes of age and libido.
There is so much to like on that album, it sounds fresh and new and is a lot more 'Western' than anything you've put out since 'Folktronic'. Not that the Eastern elements of other later albums a criticism, it's just nice to hear you exploring other areas, such as on 'The Man You'll Never Be'.
All in all it's a winner, it really is. Your best since, erm, Ocky Milk!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Woot!

It's definitely a good sign that everyone mentions different tracks as standouts. You're the first to mention "Fade to White", for instance! It's strange for me, because I remember what a terrible song that was when it started. It was called "Love Will Drive Us Crazy" and was just going nowhere, riding a white Italodisco stallion. It was only when I steered my steed off towards the rings of Dante's Inferno and Eliot's Wasteland that it began to make sense. It required darkness.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

That's great, because I can imagine it as something the uber-cool campus hippies in the song would've made themselves. There's another video of the song out there, by someone Japanese. It's got better audio quality than yours, that's about all I can say for it!

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[(Anonymous)]

Glad you're happy with my comments..

It sounds like there's an awful lot from those 'sessions' that will remain unreleased. Are you planning to make some of those tracks available online for those who've purchased the finished product?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't want to flood the internet with terrible alternative versions of my songs, no. Lots of people haven't heard my good work yet, so I'd rather keep up the chances of them stumbling on something good with my name on it.