Heaneyland!

Wicked Things

Hello -- I was out of town on Friday, but I'm back to tell you what to do, in a very indie-cred-establishing fashion. That's right, not only is this a song from an obscure band (Prefab Sprout, which only sounds like it must have been named after a fake band from a Monty Python sketch, unlike Toad the Wet Sprocket, which actually was), but it's from an obscure album by that band ("Protest Songs", their sort-of-third, sort-of-fourth album, recorded in 1985 but not released until 1989, and barely promoted; it's currently out of print in the U.S.). It's not my favorite Prefab Sprout album (that'd be "Swoon"), but I do love the track "Wicked Things", which inhabits a strange netherworld between "soothing" and "relentless". It's the fourth track on the album, fulfilling the Elvis Costello rule, as stated in the list he wrote for Vanity Fair of his 500 favorite albums, about which he commented, "I decided to also name the tracks that make these albums special to me. So, if nothing is written, head straight for the title track or assume that the whole damned thing is irresistible. When in doubt, play Track 4 -- it is usually the one you want."

Prefab Sprout, "Wicked Things" (click through for download link)