Neil Hamburger – Seasonal Depression Suite Review

Working under the Neil Hamburger moniker gives Gregg Turkington a range of projects to build into his character. Very much an Andy Kaufman-like figurehead with his Tony Clifton alter ego, there is a rare beauty to this level of character work. To create some new being completely removed from the projects of the artist behind this whole scope of work, is a fascinating balancing act. Hamburger may be the best example of this viewers, listeners and fans have had since the legendary Kaufman and Clifton double-up. Seasonal Depression Suite, the latest piece from Turkington under his Hamburger act, is a genuine surprise. Not everyone can say they doubled up with Neil Finn of Crowded House. Mr. Hamburger can, his album-based musical a fascinating treat which breaks down the barriers of genre convention and artistic intent. 

In isolation comes an exceptional fear – with You Have Arrived merely confirming, through a Sat Nav, that listeners are where they need to be. Paired with the exceptional chamber pop number Here Comes The Season Again, the repetition of life on the road feels haunting and an experience that needs to be avoided. Frankly brilliant and effortless momentum carries Hamburger here, the pull Finn has on this track is an essential part of convincing listeners, though does end suddenly. Turkington singing as Hamburger has a genuine strength to it, a kind of jaded lounge singer recounting his doomed life on the circuit which gives and takes from him without rhyme or reason. My Calendar Lied brings a dejected Christmas homeliness to it, without the heartfelt appreciation the genre so often deploys.  

Judge a book by its cover, and a song by its title. Maids Can’t Mop Up Memories may be one of the best track names this year, and the song gets better. Deep, moved and subtle work from Puddles Pity Party brings out just the right mood in Seasonal Depression Suite, as consistent as it can be for the Hamburger-led album. Daniel Knox would have been perfect for this. Rare it may be for album musicals which interlink so clearly and hold firm with Christmas-like treats such as Coming Apart At The Seams, Hamburger and his work here can be picked apart and plopped neatly into place on playlists for any mood. Some are stuck with the troubadour effect, mainly those pioneered by Turkington’s character. But the rest are exceptional, sincere and genuine efforts from this cavalcade of musicians – much of which makes Seasonal Depression Suite a project which slices through authentic appeal and through to the mockery which can be aimed at Hamburger as a character. 

He provides comfort, his cross to bear and his destiny, as the ever-so-slightly chilling efforts on Coming Apart At The Seams indicate. Few are out of the loop on the joke Turkington presents here – though for those not on the right side of Seasonal Depression Suite, the long-running character experiment could be off-putting and a tad difficult to get into. That is your problem. Hamburger cannot do anything to change this. You either get it or you do not. Hamburger is the weakest link of his own album, and that is the point of all of this Seasonal Depression Suite business. We venture through the life of a tired comedian stuck on the road with no sign of stopping. He questions the world around him on the likes of Sleeping For Free and continues the cycle of this miserable living style on Check-Out Time Is 11 A.M., the former stuffed full of slick instrumentals. Hamburger is no stranger to quality.