The Inexplicable Misadventures of The Exploding Breakfast Society – an explanation

ON A PARTICULARLY GLUM DAY during the cheerless winter of 2020, a collection of mysterious recordings surfaced – seemingly out of nowhere – and were made available to this writer, who then excitedly passed them on to more knowledgeable professionals in the music business. The set of recordings had apparently been made over a long stretch of time by a hitherto unknown group of musicians operating under the moniker The Exploding Breakfast Society. The music on these tapes had a certain unique flavor that piqued the interest of one of our leading record producers, the esteemed Malcolm Allsorts, who decided to compile a small sampling of the band’s recordings to be issued in an effort to test the waters for a more comprehensive release at a later date, should public demand for such a thing arise.

The tape archives of The Exploding Breakfast Society had been left in disarray, due in part to a series of unfortunate decisions made at various stages of the band’s career, and in part to the illiteracy of the band’s archivist, but it was ultimately simply a consequence of the mental state of the individuals that constitute the band. We cannot therefore say with any degree of certainty when any of these recordings were made. Some of them may have been put to tape in the late 1960’s, but they could just as easily stem from a legendarily ramshackle session that allegedly took place in an undisclosed location during the autumn of 2020.

The songs on this sampler are as follows:

1. Uncle William. A jaunty singalong detailing some unusual career changes forced upon a respectable middle-aged man. At first unwilling, the protagonist grows more assured in his new role as the song progresses. The casual listener may be fooled into thinking that the lyrics suggest some sort of lurid sexual deviance, but we can assure you that the whole thing is quite innocent. It is simply a story of one man entering a new career following an existential crisis. Nothing more. Now move along!
2. Rabbit, Cat, Etc. The jovial sounds of a brass band lay the foundation for this tale of an unidentified hero making his or her way in a strange, dreamlike world. The lyrics are full of unexpected twists and turns, in fact nothing but unexpected twists and turns, and very little of substance. Which is nice.
3. I Was Never Here. A poetic retelling of the story of how two young cousins, using the medium of photography, a bit of imagination, together with some simple optical trickery and, relying on the credulity of some highly esteemed members of society to advertise their imaginative forgeries, went on to cause a worldwide sensation, tragically ending in infamy for all involved. The instrumental backing is sympathetically acoustic, with light sprinklings of ethereal strings and suitably ghostlike wind instruments.
4. Summer Solstice. A hypnotic song whose musical accompaniment rolls along, drone-like, through subtle instrumental variations, utilising suspended major seconds to create the unsettling feeling of otherworldliness that permeates the song, whose exquisite lyrics form a highly poetic flight of fancy, detailing a bucolic Arcadia. The lyrics so overwhelmed this writer as to prompt him to submit them to the Nobel committee for consideration, perhaps not for the Prize itself, but at least an honourable mention. Inside sources have left encouraging reports from the ongoing deliberations.

Now listen to the record! (Spotify link)