This won’t be for everyone (warning: occasional naughty language), but if you find that it’s for you, then well done: you have great taste in music and social commentary. I say that, because obviously, I have great taste in music and social commentary and I just cannot get enough of this track (pun intended) from Nottingham-based band Sleaford Mods.
‘TCR’ stands for “Total Control Racing” and is named after a Scalextric-style toy racing car game popular in the 1980s. Talking about the song, vocalist Jason Williamson said: “The idea behind the ‘TCR’ video was to show and use the actual 1980s toy racing kit in its original environment, which would have most probably been the living room floor for most kids at that time.”
And yes, that’s exactly where my brother and I used to play it, although our carpet was a nasty brown, not a nasty patterned affair.
Also, we had a lorry version with a white articulated truck and a shiny golden oil tanker. But the memories are still there. And the meaning behind the lyrics ring true as well. Sadly.
I thought it married perfectly to the idea of life’s (at times) rotating dross. The narration/vocal over the song is just that, an account of a bloke reacting to what he feels is a routine-laden existence by ‘escaping’ for the night to the pub, only to realise this is also a limited experience, and in turn all options kind of merge into a circular experience of never ending repetition that he tries to navigate.
Having finally given up on 5fm (sorry, Rob), I’m enjoying all the airplay that this is getting on BBC 6 Music, which is being streamed into the lab from the UK on a daily basis now.
My list of other good music to catch up on is growing by the day as well. I’ve missed out on a lot thanks to Hlaudi’s stupid policies.
But that’s another post for another day.