The Comedy of Errors: Confetti - Whatever Became of Alice and Jane (19 June 1992)

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Confetti were a short-lived but prolific side project of Fat Tulips guitarist Mark Randall (operating under his middle name, David) and Virginia Aeroplane.  The duo released a series of EPs over 1991/92 of which the present track, Whatever Became of Alice and Jane was taken from their penultimate release, Sea Anemon EP.  Gently sung female vocals, acoustic backing and punning EP titles.  We’re a long way from Seattle 1992, but for all that, I refuse to use the label “Twee pop” to summarise this up in anything other than the most begrudging manner.

My reticence stems, not least in the fact, that as in keeping with several other favourite examples of the genre that cropped up on Peel playlists such as Think of These Things by The Field Mice, Look For the Holes by Po! or Fillings by Grenadine, most of what I’ve heard of Confetti’s output works that trick which distinguishes the best of the genre by setting steely, quietly determined sentiments in deceptively light backgrounds.  A track like Who’s Big and Clever Now? deals with a deceitful former lover in the manner of a switchblade wrapped in a silk handkerchief.

By contrast, Whatever Became of Alice and Jane finds a rare note of contentment in the musical world of Confetti as two people find love and mutual protection in a coastal town amid brutally bad weather.  But again, the notion of this track as “happy music” wilts under further consideration.  I think that the narrator is either Alice or Jane and that they have found love with one another.  The same-sex relationship may cause waves similar to those crashing on the shore of this seaside town though.  “This means more than a change in the weather” suggests that they know their relationship is going to cause a stir.  Virginia’s lyrics present negative and positive contradictions throughout.  Regardless of the terrible weather conditions or stormy seas, her protagonists feel terrific internally and safe with each other.  The final verse sees them resolved to spend their time together under the pier and staying there forever.  It presents an intriguing question though as to whether she means that Alice and Jane will stay in this town or instead abandon themselves together to the sea.

The three tracks on The Sea Anemon EP were all linked by seaside and water themes and when heard  in sequence they present an almost concept-EP-like structure centred around escape and the cleansing properties of the sea, especially in Here Again.  Perhaps Confetti were taking a break from the stoic angst of earlier recordings and advocating a life by the sea as a means of curing all emotional ills.  As someone who lived 32 years of my life by the sea, I can report that it was never a panacea and emotional distress could find you in Falmouth just as easily as it could in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham or Glasgow.  But when you were content, it was a hell of a setting to place your happiness within.  Confetti used the EP as a testing ground for the idea and by the end we come to the conclusion that one way or another, Alice and Jane are not going back to whence they came.

 When Peel played Whatever Became of Alice and Jane, he mentioned that he was a sucker for
records with seagull and seaside effects, so he would have found plenty to enjoy here.  My notes at the time of hearing it said that it “walked the line between drippy and delicious”.  Gradually it charmed me, but this 2013 cover by Rose Melberg offers evidence of how to get Confetti wrong.

This video contains the other tracks on The Sea Anemon EP:  Here Again and River Island.


Videos courtesy of Royeca Roel and Confetti Topic