Black Carrot – Milking Scarabs for Dough

Few bands come with an in-house bard, but Black Carrot do – thus summing up their rather unwieldy brand of art rock pretty well. Helmed by Oliver Betts' fantastically deranged vocal licks – think Pere Ubu's David Thomas with a Midlands accent – Milking Scarabs for Dough employs, at various points, gypsy accordion, slap bass, medieval harpsichord, squalling brass solos and lo-fi jazz, with just enough wry self-awareness as not to sound pretentious. There's a lot squeezed into these songs, without the result ever feeling cluttered – conveying the feel of a day trip to an English manor full of eccentric thespians and art school drop outs. Of the songs, Blackmail and The Detonation Tonight Will Be S-Ray-20 come out on top for sheer balls-out, rock goodness, while Magnets and Sleep are true slow-burners. Fans of early Bowie, Beefheart and their ilk will likely appreciate this thrilling piece of rock theatre. [Martin Skivington]