Grant Duncan -Stories from Cyber

by Leonard Scarborough
(Coventry, England)

Fresh from the pungent aroma of the south east melting pot that is Malaysia as it stands in modern daylight comes a straightforward but succinct appraisal of some of the difficulties that can occur when foreigners merge into a working environment dictatored by the money hungry Chinese-Malay influence.

An issue that some locals albeit less vocally assume to be a well-poisonous addition to any already confusing eclectic balance of cultural divide and appeasement. Often quality is replaced by the desire to be recognized as something powerful in amongst the bedlam of disorder and chaos.

Stories from Cyber is an album written, recorded and produced by Grant Duncan that relates to a number of these issues and more.

In the opening track ‘Disjointed’ Duncan attacks the issue head on with the opening stanza of ‘So Disjointed, I can’t find a way to describe it in words…’ alongside a crunching guitar figure reminiscent of the great 60’s riff bands. His vocal is expressive sits high up in the mix.

‘Agree to Disagree’ alludes to disharmony in the ranks and for the betterment of the interpersonal relationships of the characters involved its best left under the table. Again the vocal harmony sits high up on top of the track with a tight, repetitive guitar lick holding the verses together.

The drums attack with a live vengeance and build the excitement into each chorus. A delicate ballad ‘Somewhere next to you’ is reflective without being syrupy, heartfelt but not mush in the bucket.

In ‘Multi media Super Corridor’ Duncan addresses the local uninhabited environment that the government had spent billions developing with the intention of filling up with the excess of spillage in over- populated KL without actually any assurance on how it was going to work.

The back-drop is a gentle rockabilly arrangement with minimal interference or window dressing.

Elsewhere on the album a standard 4-bar chunk of blues is the meat behind ‘Basket Weavers’ a tongue in cheek stab at the state of driving in the area and ‘Langkawi’ is a tribute to the sunny island off the coast near the Thai border. The album closes with an instrumental ‘Some Sunny Day’ perhaps alluding to the hope for a better situation in the vicinity down the track.

Overall the 9-track CD is an enjoyable and mood-enhancing experience with an immediacy that allows it to evolve throughout the listening experience.

Whilst nothing startlingly new in regards to arrangements and perhaps a shinier polish on some of the tracks in terms of mixing and EQ levels, Duncan’s Stories from Cyber is certainly worth a few repeated plays.