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Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils – Legs Broken
Release Date: December 16, 2022
Label: Not Saints
Format: Single | Digital
Duration: 03:38
Genre: Klezmer / Gypsy Punk
Origin: Brighton, England
Bird on Solo Paths
Brighton’s Mishkin Fitzgerald has been featured on these sites before. The busy artist from England is one half of Dark Pop act Hviress whose Single ‚Arrival‘ was in the Mango News in June 2021. Nevertheless, Mishkin Fitzgerald is best known for leading the Prog Rock band birdeatsbaby who have been featured in the Fresh Mango series with their releases ‚Ribbons‘ and ‚Illuminate‘. The word ‚busy‘ really carries a lot of weight with Fitzgerald since she maintains several solo projects. In 2013, her first solo album „Present Company“ was released, and since then, Mishkin has had several releases on which she explores the musical realms apart from Progressive or Alternative Rock.
Old Friends and New Sounds
The latest project led by Mishkin Fitzgerald goes into a completely different direction. Under the name of Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils a group has come together that plays an agile and energetic mix of Klezmer, Folk Rock, Alternative Rock and traditional music from the Balkans. The album „Grace’s Cradle“ contains sweet melancholic slow jams driven by a gentle piano and theatralic vocals as well as dynamic off-beat dance invitations spurred on by accordion and strings.
The personnel featured on „Grace’s Cradle“ is not completely unknown. Anna Mylee (drums), Garry Mitchell (double bass, guitars, brass) and Hana Piranha (violin, cello) are all members of birdeatsbaby, Piranha is furthermore the other half of Hviress. Further Chemical Perils are Jacy de Sousa (saxophones, flutes, clarinets), Sachin Bhopal (trumpets) and Sian Buss (trombone, tuba). Although, this looks like a birdeatsbaby and friends line-up, there are at leats two reasons why Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils are an independent act. Firstly, there is no permanent cast for The Chemical Perils:
whoever turns up on the night is in the band
Mishkin Fitzgerald
Furthermore, musically Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils produce their very own style. Of course, the handwriting by songwriter, pianist, accordionist and vocalist Mishkin Fitzgerald obviously coins the sound. Nevertheless, the music on „Grace’s Cradle“ is completely different to any other Mishkin Fitzgerald release or project.
Sweet Revenge
The single ‚Legs Broken‘ is featured on the album, and it was out before the longplayer. Being one of the most dynamic tracks from „Grace’s Cradle“, ‚Legs Broken‘ makes it absolutely impossible to sit still. For three-and-a-haf minutes, Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils present a Gypsy-Punk-Klezmer-Rock-Powerhouse inviting the listeners to dance on tables, barstools, cars or roof tops.
It is revenge song, a song about revenge, and a warning simultaneously. Although not completely serious, Mishkin and her band convey this message on their raging 2/4 party tune: you don’t want to mess with a songwriter, or otherwise you may become immortal in a very unpleasant way. The harsher version of having one’s name in a vilification song is name in the chorus:
How are you going to get there in the dark night, friend? How are you going to walk there with your legs broken?
As one of the highlights of an amazing album, ‚Legs Broken‘ is s song for almost every occasion. It does not matter if you feel angry, happy, sad, if you are full of motivation or if you are lacking drive – ‚Legs Broken‘ will put you on the right track.
10/10 Mangoes
