Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

2. David Thomas BroughtonThe Complete GuideTo Insufficiency

I feel like I blacked out when I first heard him. His voice is so bizarre, it’s mutating between many identities – his voice doesn’t fit inside of a slender British man. I was surprised when I saw pictures of him as he sounded like a big, heavy-set soul singer. I thought it was a woman, too. I couldn’t tell if it was a woman or a man from his voice, and that’s not an insult, but it was so mysterious. I started listening to the record and then I heard this song on it called ‘Execution’. I think he just has one line which he repeats in that song, which is “I wouldn’t take her to an execution, I wouldn’t piss or shit on her would I, because I love her so.” How can someone pull that line off? And it was just so fragilely sung. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just so beautiful. I don’t think I realised for a year or two that it was recorded live, even though it sounds very much live. There’s just nothing like it. It’s so sparse and deep and unique and beautiful.

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