Play, repeat, enjoy
Top image: photography by Roni Ahn, fashion by Yeon You, Bingo wears Stefan Cooke
London-based musician Bingo Fury exists between worlds. Like a Beat poet lost in a no-wave anti-rhythm, he finds comfort in dissonance: moments of silence burst by erratic horns, taut drums and late-night static.
Following brilliant and sporadic track releases, this week sees the release of Fury’s debut EP, Mercy’s Cut via Practise Music – a five-track offering that draws you into the musician’s scattergun world of dark mystique. Fury in more than name alone, there’s magic in the maelstrom; beauty in the imperfect. Between croons and croaks, there’s a Steinway on heat, Spanish trumpets and the click-clack-clunk rhythm of everyday life. Part Chet Baker, part James Chance, part romantic, part sadist. Lo-fi, high art, a lounge lizard in a studio flat: Bingo Fury is the voice of the underground rising through the floorboards.
To mark his EP launch, Fury has sent us an exclusive playlist of influences and indulgences – from The Lounge Lizards’ louche sax to a tearjerker by Arthur Russell.
Love is Everywhere by Pharoah Sanders
“Regardless of what mood I’m in, this song fills me with joy. I wish I could have been in the room while it was recorded, you can tell everyone’s having a great time. It’s undeniable. One of the best bass lines ever written, too.”
Comme à la Radio by Brigette Fontaine
“Unnerving and graceful in equal measure. I learnt recently the backing band for this record is the Art Ensemble of Chicago (a devastating avant-jazz group). Also worth checking them out!”
She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain by Aldous Harding
“A modern classic in my book. It’s rare I’ll listen to something first time around and immediately recognise it’s one of the best songs I’ve heard. Absolutely heartbreaking performance in this recording.”
Bob the Bob by The Lounge Lizards
“It could have been any Lounge Lizards song. They’re unreasonable. On this record, they simultaneously combine different time signatures during a song. The sax is playing a different time signature to everything else in the arrangement but manages to fit in so delicately. John Lurie is king.”
Dying On The Vine by John Cale
“Sometimes I have to take my head out of the production of the recording. It can get a bit much for me, a bit over-80s. But the song itself is incredible, particularly lyrically. There’s a video of him playing this song just voice and piano, it always gives me shivers. It feels like a particularly vulnerable song for John Cale, more so than his other work. A good song to soundtrack self-destructive living.”
Black and Brown Blues by Silver Jews
“A fine example of David Berman’s genius. I don’t think any lyricist has resonated with me like Berman has. I know a lot of people share this experience, which means he’s probably pretty good. So playful, so heartbreaking. The corduroy suit line always gets me.”
Cry-Baby by Alice Low
“Alice Low is a relatively new discovery for me. This song is killer – love her voice. Delicately crafted and beautifully produced pop (pretty sure she engineers/produces it all herself!)“
Paper Hats by This Heat
“This song bent my brain into a totally different shape when I first heard it as a teen. This album is huge for me. I love the sound of the storage space they recorded it in. A truly unhinged recording.”
Kanga Roo by Big Star
“My dad showed me a Big Star documentary when I was young and they’ve stuck with me from an early age. Alex Chilton has written some of my all-time top songs. I like this demo version because it feels more intimate and you can hear his voice clearly. He can say anything he wants in the lyrics – I’ll be there for his voice.”
I Couldn’t Say It To Your Face by Arthur Russell
“Bit of a cult classic at this point. This ones a real tearjerker. Undeniably one of his best tracks and one of those songs that reminds me of a very specific moment in a specific room at a specific time in my life. I like it when you can pinpoint a song to a particular moment.”
Bingo Fury, Mercy’s Cut, is out now via Practise Music.