The Syndicate UK -or- Neville Hits Wormtail with a Whiskey Bottle

Okay, so I’ve only watched the first episode, but I need to tell you about The Syndicate. First of all, it sounds like a mobster show, which it’s not. It’s a program about a group of down and out grocery shop employees who win the lottery. Now, with that description it sounds like a bit of a light-hearted jaunt. It’s not that either. It’s a drama revolving around the problems these five people have and how money can’t fix them.

                                                            Pictured: These five people. 

First there’s Stuart, who’s nominally our main character (though I understand that each episode focuses on a different character to explore them more in-depth). Stuart’s a boy with a good heart. He’s got a girlfriend called Amy, a son, and, by the end of the episode, a daughter. Stuart has been working his job at the Right Buy U (which I get the impression is a bit of a grocer meets 7-11) since he was fifteen and loves it. Amy doesn’t get along with Stuart’s mom, who is constantly belittling her in front of her son. Amy leaves Stuart, telling him that he needs to find a better job and a place for them to live if he wants them to be together. Reasonable enough, right? Unfortunately, the reason that Stuart has to live with his mom in the first place and has terrible credit is that Amy is a bit of a spender. Oh, and the Right Buy U is closing and they’re all getting laid off.

Stuart’s brother, Jamie (played by Neville Longbottom), appears to be pretty happy just watching whatever the British equivalent of Maury is and bumming around. He’s sensible enough, and charming, but has a bit of a sketchy past. In this universe, Neville used to be a bit of a drug addict. He wants to help his brother (and himself) by robbing the Right Buy U. In theory, he’ll pose as a robber, Stuart will open the safe and give him all the money, then Jamie will have some pocket money and Stuart will have the down-payment for a flat with Amy. Easy peasy.

                                                  Gran? Who taught you to use a phone?

Then we’ve got Leanne. On the surface, she’s a pretty basic single mother. She wishes she had more money so she could do nice things for her daughter, like take her to Disneyland. She works hard to support herself and her daughter and is the first to fill out an application for the store that’s being built over the Right Buy U. Leanne, however, has a dark past of sorts. Leanne isn’t her real name. She used to live in Wales before moving to Leeds. Her daughter’s father is still there, as far as she knows, and she seems concerned about him finding out where they are. Which will be tricky if she’s in all the papers for winning the lottery.

Denise, another of the employees at Right Buy U, is a middle-aged, portly woman with dubious teeth. She dresses atrociously and you can almost smell her through the screen. She also has a heart of gold. She’s got a couple of dogs that she loves very much and a husband she’s very devoted to. Denise worries a lot about her appearance, remarking on how she wishes she weren’t so ugly. Her husband ignores her and it’s implied that he’s cheating on her; he racks up a huge phone bill texting the same number that he’s very defensive about. Denise is the one that runs the lottery syndicate and picked the winning numbers. But can money buy love?

Last, we come to Bob. Bob is the kindly old store manager (played by Peter Pettigrew). He is very sympathetic to Stuart’s plight and honestly wishes he could help, but instead has to break the news that the shop is closing down. He and Denise were offered positions at another Right Buy U branch, but the other employees were not. Bob’s got two sons that never speak to him and refuse to help him in any way. And he needs help, as he’s been very dizzy lately and vomiting regularly, indicating some health issue we haven’t seen yet. Unfortunately, he has got a health issue we have seen, as Jamie puts him in a coma during the botched fake robbery.

Each of these characters has a problem that, on the surface, is easily solved by money. Needing a place to live, wanting not to work, desiring a better life for one’s child, wanting to be more conventionally attractive, not wanting to lose their job. But it’s all so much more complicated than that.

                             Loves a gold-digger, hiding from an ex, hates herself, wants drugs.

I am confident recommending The Syndicate, even though I've only seen the one episode so far. It's gripping. I cried. I was on the edge of my seat.

It's not at all what I expected from a show about some minimum wage shop workers who strike it rich. And that's a good thing. 

Edmund - Well Done You

Today, we talk about Edmund.

                                                                  These classy gents. 

You may notice that front and center there is one Arthur Darvill (or as the Whovians know him: Rory Williams, Rory the Roman, The Last Centurion, etc). I admit that I decided to check out Edmund because I'm a fan of Mr. Darvill and was curious. What I didn't expect is for them to be good. (I suppose I have an inherent distrust for shaggy-haired hipsters holding acoustic guitars.)

Oh, yes, I'm sure your music is great...

The title of the only Edmund album I could find is "Well Done You." Are there others in existence? I don't know. It's also rather nebulous whether Rory...I mean Arthur...is still a member of Edmund, or even if they're still together at all. Side note: Edmund was named by Mr. Darvill after his favorite character in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. 

Overall, the album features generally upbeat music (with a couple exceptions). The lyrics range from downright maudlin to happy and hopeful. The bridge and coda of each song tends to be more slow and melancholic. The vocals provided by Arthur are very emotive; you can hear the smiles and tears in every line, as if each song was torn from his heart, still bleeding and squirming. 

There are ten tracks on this album and I'll give you a short breakdown of each. 

Maps + Charts features touching and relatable lyrics laid over an upbeat, poppy tune. 

I know your face, even if I never see it again.

Breaking Into Houses has likely the most synthetic effects of any track on the album (aside from perhaps The Control). It contains an arrhythmic synth intro, vocal effects, and electronic sounds followed by a slow, sad piano outro.  

I'm tired of watching you watching me try to keep this smile inside; soon I'll burst into a thousand other smiles to cover you.

Hard to Believe is a rather melancholy song. Synth organs provide the bulk of the music, with heart-wrenching vocals. 

Did it always feel so bright here? I can hardly see from all your light. 

I Am The Chancer sounds similar to a lot of late 90s pop-punk (Attack! Attack! UK was brought to mind). It has a lot more guitar and real drums than many tracks on the album. 

I'll take my chances now, 'cuz you took your chances. 

Leave This City is another track featuring a synth organ as its main instrument. The lyrics are slow, but very hopeful in tone. 

We both know they could never burst our bubble. 

After Dark is a rather charming song; its synthy pseudo-music box tones and other electronic sounds give it an atmosphere that's both childish and a little creepy. 

With no violence, we sit in silence. 

Missing Out is very catchy, with lots of steady drum and rhythmic beats. The keyboard breakdown is very pleasant. Unfortunately, due to the pitch of Arthur's voice during the slower parts of the song and his accent (or my American ear), I couldn't understand all of the lyrics.

And I see you're missin' out. 

Running Jump is nearly triumphant in its nihilism. The piano is lovely and the lyrics are passionate. 

I've stopped seeing light; I can't look back, even if I tried. 

The Control is my favorite song on the album, musically. I'm a big fan of electronic music and The Control takes advantage of very synthy drum and bass, plus keyboard that ranges from low and melodic to upbeat and perky. The coda has some very discordant tone weaving. This is the only time you'll hear Arthur Darvill raise his voice (when he's not defending Amy.) 

I'm sorry, but you know that I'm not changing. 

Thoughts of Flight is the most catchy and pleasant song on this entire album. Its lyrics are sweet and loving, happy and full of hope. It has all of the elements that made UK pop-punk from the late 90s - early 00s so great. 

Could every time I breathe in be every time you breathe out?

"Well Done You" is a wonderful album, all told, with tracks that range from joyful to despondent, from electronic to acoustic. Unlike some bands that try to capture this kind of variety, Edmund hits every beat. I would go so far as to say that there is something that Edmund offers for nearly everyone.

"Well Done You" is available to listen to in its entirety on Spotify, though some of the track quality leaves something to be desired. You can also listen to the individual tracks on Youtube. 

Oh, and in case any of you needed more information about Arthur Darvill: