Micko & The Mellotronics – Proper Job

The new single from Micko and the Mellotronics finds the songsmith in trenchant lyrical form as he examines and then disembowels the perceived wisdom that the dignity of labour and economic relevance only derive from a ‘proper job’. Razor sharp as ever, Micko namechecks Brian Eno and Larry David as examples of outsider success and as individuals who have proved that their stature as artists and their attendant financial well-being transcended the demands of low- or no-wage existence. He moves on to pick holes in the minimum wage culture and its deleterious effect on the world of the arts, drawing, perhaps, on his own experiences.

Musically, Proper Job finds Micko in jaunty, bluesy form. The track jingles and jangles, as catchy as Coronavirus and a hell of a lot more fun. It’s the third single from the upcoming album The Trinity but more importantly, it’s an instalment of Micko’s sonic street opera. Produced by Chris Kimsey and featuring Mellotronic stalwarts Paul Cuddeford (Boomtown Rats), Budge Magraw and Jan Noble (The Cesarians), the single is a fabulous taster for the album, but stands alone as another fine piece of important new British music by what should be recognised as one of its finest proponents.

Proper Job is out now on Landline Records.