Rats From A Sinking Ship - Nothing Ever Happens

 

  Yesterday's featured song was a bit of a left field cover version (Neutrals putting their own spin on The Exploited's Hitlers In The Charts Again) and today you're getting another one that had me thinking oh, I don't think I'm going to like this. But I certainly do, it's another inspired choice and makes me listen to the Del Amitri "classic" in a totally different light.

  Ilkeston punk/rap duo Rats From A Sinking Ship (https://www.facebook.com/RATSFROMASINKINGSHIP/) last appeared on Just Some Punk Songs when they teamed up with Austrian producer Markus Kienzl and legendary poet Benjamin Zephaniah to record one of 2019's best songs (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/10/rats-from-sinking-ship-and-markus.html). Today they return with the title track from a new ep which is out on limited edition cd (75 numbered copies, pre sale link going live soon so watch out for it) on April 3rd. The ep will be called Nothing Ever Happens.

  It contains 4 new tracks and I'm just about to have my first listen so here's some initial impressions...

 The title track is the Del Amitri cover. They were a band I never paid attention to and though it's a song I've heard numerous times it's never really registered. This version though certainly does. Maybe it's because I prefer this style of music, maybe it's just because I actually listened to the lyrics instead of assuming it'd be lame ass kiddy and housewife friendly chart pap. It's a very valid commentary on misplaced values and the apathy that's all to prevalent in western society.

  Track 2 is titled Muggins and is a slow burner with rumbling guitar and Lusty challenging "Who are you?..."

  Next up is a song with a title that had me liking it before even pressing play. It's a more up tempo broadside at a music industry that's run by men with beards like 70's geography teachers that don't actually like music and who manufacture the same dross format of bands that they can slaver over like some paedophiles wet dream. Watch as the wannabe has beens are disposed of on a big pile of sad dreams, stolen fortunes and repossessed souls. This is just the first part of a song I really like, reality tv shows certainly fair no better in part 2! It's called Stop Making Stupid People Famous, it's very funny (and sad at the same time) and rather scathing. 

  They round things off with Corrie 94 and a little like the Skids classic TV Stars, it rhymes off a bunch of Coronation Street characters along with the repeat refrain of Your street is my street, My street is your street... You're a native.

  All in all an excellent ep from a band that keeps on improving. You're gonna love it.

  This is Nothing Ever Happens...

Post office clerks put up signs saying "position closed"
And secretaries turn off typewriters and put on their coats
And janitors padlock the gates for security guards to patrol
And bachelors phone up their friends for a drink
While the married ones turn on a chat show
And they'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow

Gentlemen, time please, you know we can't serve anymore
Now the traffic lights change to stop, when there's nothing to go
And by five o'clock everything's dead
And every third car is a cab
And ignorant people sleep in their beds
Like the doped white mice in the college lab

And nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
The needle returns to the start of the song
And we all sing along like before
And we'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow

Telephone exchanges click while there's nobody there
The Martians could land in the car park and no one would care
Close-circuit cameras in department stores shoot the same movie every day
And the stars of these films neither die nor get killed
Just survive constant action replay

And nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
The needle returns to the start of the song
And we all sing along like before
And we'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow

And bill holdings advertise products that nobody needs
While angry from Manchester writes to complain about
All the repeats on T.V.
And computer terminals report some gains
On the values of copper and tin
While American businessmen snap up Van Goghs
For the price of a hospital wing

And nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
The needle returns to the start of the song
And we all sing along like before

And nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
They'll burn down the synagogues at six o'clock
And we'll all go along like before
And we'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow