New Masculinities Playlist 2018: Track 6 “We’ll Build A House”

I hereby inform you, dear readers, that the year 1993 is now 25 years ago. If that seems startling to you, and the turn of the century and millennium has obscured your ability to conduct simple subtraction, well then (as sitcom writers in 1993 might well have penned) “join the club.” Even as I count up the years myself and invariably reach 25, the calculation still doesn’t seem quite right.

More importantly, I’m writing to inform you that I’ve recently been charmed by a jangly pop album from 1993, rereleased this year on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. Gosh, that math still doesn’t seem right. The album, Martin Newell’s The Greatest Living Englishman, is the product of a collaboration between poet/songwriter Newell and XTC frontman Andy Partridge, here playing the role of producer. Partridge’s catalog was bound to intersect with the New Masculinities Playlist at some point, thanks to XTC’s articulate lyrics, his continuing availability as a friendly internet weirdo, and the simple fact that I’m a superfan. But Partridge was merely behind the mixing board (and, apparently, the drumset) for this record, whose poetic lyrics, sharp production, and political themes combine for a surprise delight.

I hereby declare the song “We’ll Build a House” as Track 6 of 2018’s New Masculinities Playlist. The track is a little bit of magic, with melody, message, and production elevating one another in a perfect synergy that most songwriters chase unsuccessfully for decades. The aspiration and defeat in the narrator’s battle with homelessness are as clearly rendered and resonant as the politics of class and generation that the song addresses. It’s a two and a half minute pop music miracle and, if we’re to believe the mathematicians, it’s celebrating its 25th birthday this year. Have a listen, and dive into the rest of the record if you’re so inclined. Cheers!

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