The summer months often prompt a slow down in new releases and a somewhat less predictable selection of titles in the racks. And so it proves for 2024 – read on to find out about the quality of July’s pressings and to find your next favourite record.
Freshly Pressed:
Claire Cottrill is now on album number three as Clairo, ‘Charm’ building on the fine work of 2019’s ‘Immunity’ and 2021’s ‘Sling’. The more folky inflections of the second marked a departure from the whip-smart debut and Cottrill is now besotted with vintage soul, soft-rock and vocal jazz. Listen to the springy piano and lyrical clarinet on ‘Second Nature’ to get a sense of the melodic instinct at play on this superb set. The warmly intuitive rhythm section across ‘Charm’ is immediately comforting and these songs waste no time in cocooning the listener a sonic language that uses vintage musical phrasing to say new things.
The woozy trumpet that concludes ‘Juna’, the wobbly synths of ‘Echo’ and the whole of the jauntily flute-laden corker ‘Glory Of The Snow’ highlight the intricate beauty at the heart of ‘Charm’. Collaborating with Leon Michels on the songwriting and production, Cottrill has fashioned something with a distinctly twenty-first century sheen but a sensibility stretching back decades. Just Played sampled the purple independent store edition which, like other variants, was pressed at GZ and plays mostly quietly, with only occasional surface noise. The mastering, courtesy of The Bunker Studio, and cut sound excellent, eschewing any bass bloat and giving the distinctly human musicianship plenty of depth and colour. It’s an instant delight and, I’m starting to suspect, a slow burning highlight of the year.
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Having experienced some personnel shifts in the Noughties, the core of Pepe Deluxé has been New York-based multi-instrumentalist Paul Malmström and Helsinki resident James Spectrum since 2008. Three years on from an initial volume, they’ve just released ‘Phantom Cabinet Vol 2: Comix Sonix’. ‘Wise Monkeys And The Devil’ shape shifts before erupting into a burst of turbo soul from within an audio patchwork that works remarkably well in the four chunks necessitated by a double LP release. ‘Saddle That Wind’ has plenty in common with Matt Berry’s knack for Sixties psychedelic pastiche while ‘Earth Boys Are Easy’ takes a very different approach, proceeding at a pace that is wildly disorientating. The cut-and-paste comic book artwork design represents the album’s contents rather neatly and the pair of bright yellow 45rpm discs has been pressed at Optimal, ensuring largely silent playback of music with a deliberately wide, dramatic soundstage and bucketloads of nuance.
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Mark Oliver Everett has made his record again and ‘Eels Time!’ is the fifteenth studio album by the band that first caught our ear twenty-eight years ago. In good news, those who enjoy mid-paced indie jangle with gravelly, compressed vocals and melodic melancholia are in for a treat. It’s also a fairly quiet Optimal pressing with mastering by Dan Hersch at D2 and a gorgeous gatefold sleeve. The mid-range is especially vibrant, extending out into the room and giving plenty of shape to the all-important guitar parts. E’s voice has plenty of depth, despite the deliberate treatment it so often receives. Musically, ‘Time’, ‘Goldy’ and closer ‘Let’s Be Lucky’ get close to capturing past glories and the set coheres neatly as a whole. The pink translucent edition sampled matched the typography pretty sweetly and those who buy every one of his records will be happy, but it’s hard to imagine it toppling any previous efforts in anyone’s affections.
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Regular readers may recall your correspondent’s fondness for Blur, but I’m not always the biggest fan of concert albums. So, what to make of ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’, a celebration of Blur’s two-night stand at the UK’s largest music venue from July 2023? Firstly, you need to decide whether you want a 3LP recording of (almost) all of the Sunday night performance or a combined 2LP highlights package from the pair of shows. Just Played focused on the more reasonably priced double disc edition, which offers up seventeen tracks across four sides of GZ-pressed vinyl. Apart from a little rustle at the start of each side, playback proved to be near silent and the performances haven’t been obviously tinkered with or polished to try and be something they’re not. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Matt Butcher, the soundstage is a little variable, mainly skewing quite narrow, and can get a bit crunchy at times. That said, Matt Colton’s vinyl cut is a notable improvement on the digital release, allowing for some intricacy in ‘Under The Westway’, some sparkle for ‘The Narcissist’ and a driving rhythm for ‘Tender’. The concert photography is excellent while the sonics are mostly good enough.
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The latest album from Waxahatchee, ‘Tigers Blood’, is a very splendid thing indeed and some additional variants emerged into the world just as June concluded so, as we didn’t cover the initial run, forgive a quick paragraph on this beautiful record. Although an acoustic-driven country rock record on the surface, there’s plenty of indie DNA at play on tracks like ‘Bored’ and ‘Ice Cold’. MJ Lenderman is a vocal presence throughout, but his increased role on ‘Right Back To It’ makes for one of those songs that have to be played over and over after the first listen, just to wallow in them and pore over the detail. Lenderman has more than a hint of the youthful Rufus Wainwright about him and his backing presence elsewhere perfectly compliments Katie Crutchfield’s transfixing voice. The wonderfully detailed soundstage, with so much three-dimensional texture, is well served by a near-silent Record Industry pressing.
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While released into the Bandcamp-sphere a few months ago, the new George Boomsma album arrived in my hands recently after mentioning his superlative production for several other beloved 2024 releases in previous columns. ‘The Promise Of Spring’ has a shimmering, lulling quality to it that never slips into saccharine territory, prioritising beauty despite the primary focus being an expression of grief. Sweeping melodies and inventively plucked acoustic guitar are key, the title track, ‘Cashmere Grey’ and ‘Fallen’ particular highlights amongst an eight song record that is utterly absorbing when experienced in one sitting. The interstitial family recordings slowly settle into place and seem more logical with each play. Production and mastering are as excellent as one might expect, with acres of space at the top end and a truly three-dimensional soundstage throughout. A near-silent orange GZ pressing lets the music do the talking. While Boomsma often helps others to sound wonderful, he’s just adept at doing justice to his own material.
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Nearly a quarter of a century after his debut, Fin Greenall, known as Fink, has released his eighth under that name, ‘Beauty In Your Wake’. Currently operating as a trio, the act has varied its approach across the years, moving from some early electronic leanings to a more acoustic sound. It’s an isolated, nocturnal album, perhaps influenced by Greenall’s return from Berlin to Cornwall, where he was born. Taking up residence in a tiny community, that sense of space and seclusion runs through all ten songs. ‘So We Find Ourselves’ is an especially intense, almost overbearingly sparse track with a beautifully understated vocal, resonant piano notes suspended in the air like the first spits of an incoming storm, before coalescing into something unexpectedly pretty at its close. Alex Wharton at Abbey Road has done an excellent job of the mastering, allowing a palpable intimacy for the vocals and sparkling precision across the mid-range. A near-silent Optimal pressing is provided in a poly-lined inner along with a twenty-eight-page photo and lyric booklet.
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Kiasmos’ self-titled 2014 debut mixed minimalist techno with the neo-classical feel of their Erased Tapes contemporaries, pulling together the work of Icelandic multi-instrumental Olafur Arnalds and Faroese techno whizz-kid Janus Rasmussen. For their second, simply titled ‘II’, the recipe hasn’t changed that much, naturally evolving what they call the “emotional rave” music from ten years ago. Skittering beats are paired with strings that are by turns mournful, foreboding and euphoric, managing the rare feat of uplifting melancholia. Just listen to ‘Burst’, which ebbs and flows beguilingly, as if never quite comfortable in any particular emotional state. ‘Sworn’ would be a perfect accompaniment to a misty, stop-start bus ride through brooding countryside, its textures seeming to suggest a multitude of interpretations. It’s a fantastic German pressing with mastering by Zino Mikorey and a lacquer cut at Schnittstelle that sounds enormous. It can handle plenty of volume without smearing the bottom end and the strings have real presence despite the digital construction. I sampled the clear edition that is near-silent throughout and adds a free lossless download.
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Two years on from their top ten debut, The Mysterines return with ‘Afraid Of Tomorrows’. Lia Metcalfe remains a captivating front woman for these strident, grungy songs, still nodding to PJ Harvey as on ‘Reeling’ but with something of the polished rhythms of later period Garbage. ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ is irresistibly energetic, while ‘Inside A Matchbox’ simmers and writhes around an unsettling, swooshy beat. The music has evolved neatly from the unchecked exuberance of their first and the artwork is also a great improvement. Sadly, the one thing that was flagged as an issue last time Just Played covered them remains a problem. A GZ pressing with a shiny printed inner, this disc is quite noisy at points. While the music is generally rowdy enough to override it, the moments where it breaks through are sufficiently distracting to warrant caution.
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David Keegan’s 2017 debut novel ‘This Is Memorial Device’ quietly built up a cult following for its tale of a fictional Airdrie rock group via a fictional oral history. Geographic Records now offer up the expanded soundtrack to Graham Eatough’s Fringe First stage adaptation of the book. Written by Stephen Pastel and Gavin Thomson – formerly of Glasgow band Findo Gask and The Pastels’ soundman – this is part accompaniment, part evolution of the whole concept. It works as a self-contained record, however, hinging on the audio samples that are interwoven throughout and most notably lines spoken by Paul Higgins in role as Ross Raymond. Several original cassette recordings from the early Eighties are incorporated into these new pieces, as on ‘We Have Sex’ and ‘Square Peg In A Round Hole’, the latter neatly using part of the script to tee up the vintage audio. ‘The Most Beautiful House In Airdrie’ is a wistful, swooning delight that feels very Pastels at its core while the closing track ‘The Morning Of The Executioners’ has sunset brass somnambulantly processing towards the conclusion. It’s a very beautiful thing indeed. Frank Arkwright has done a lovely job of the mastering providing the necessary texture and breadth to these often rather moving soundscapes. A pin-drop silent Optimal pressing is accompanied by a four-page insert that fleshes out some of the detail.
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All Kinds Of Blue:
July’s Tone Poets are quite the contrasting pair. First up is Donald Byrd’s 1956 Transition release ‘Byrd Blows On Beacon Hill’. As with other titles from the label, this means a stickered plain back cover advising that you can find “Album Notes Inside,” provided in a small booklet resembling a fanzine with an essay full of enthusing by label founder Tom Wilson. As it’s a non-gatefold Tone Poet, we also get a double-sided insert with a fresh perspective from Michael Cuscuna. Musically, it’s genial fare, bassist Doug Watkins proving an especially ebullient presence throughout. It might not feel essential compared to other selections for this series, but it’s an important stepping-stone to what would follow for Byrd. ‘Little Rock Getaway’ and ‘If I Love Again’ demonstrate the potential exhibited here and the whole thing sounds strikingly alive thanks to Kevin Gray’s superb cut.
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Alongside this, is Wayne Shorter’s 1971 avant-garde offering ‘Odyssey Of Iska’ which is not for the uninitiated but offers up a sonic feast. Produced by Duke Pearson, the session included both Cecil McBee and Ron Carter on bass, Dave Friedman on vibes plus marimba and a trio of drumming talents in Billy Hart, Al Mouzon and Frank Cuomo. Gene Bertoncini’s guitar duels with Shorter’s sax parts across the album, the fittingly titled ‘Storm’ a fine example of this. The Gray-cut soundstage is vast, filling out far beyond the speakers and affording all of the parts ample space in which to confuse and delight. Both are silent RTI pressings.
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The first from the Classics series this month is ‘The Magnificent Thad Jones’, which captures the trumpeter in effervescent form. This shimmering mono delight from 1956 features the inimitable Max Roach on drums and his work during ‘If I Love Again’ is absolutely exhilarating. Jones stretches out and delights throughout, but the opening take on ‘April In Paris’ is especially magnificent. It’s an all-analogue Kevin Grey cut via a near-silent Optimal pressing, as is the other Classic, Cliff Jordan’s ‘Cliff Craft’. Sonny Clark is at the piano for this 1957 dose of hard bop and he’s on fine form when taking his solo during ‘Anthropology’ as well as giving a real swing to ‘Soul-Lo Blues’, before Jordan cuts loose with his trumpet. George Tucker’s springy bass is wonderfully captured by Gray, with a palpable sense of fingers on strings situated within the soundstage. Combined, they make for an accessible pair awash with rhythm.
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Going Round Again:
Fancy a deluxe, four-disc tantric vinyl box set of The Police’s ‘Synchronicity’? Well, you’re in luck, as long as you’ve got £100 knocking around. For that, you receive a fresh 2024 cut of the main album, a bonus disc of b-sides and extra bits plus two further LPs of previously unreleased pieces, most of which are alternate mixes and instrumentals. The accompanying 64-page 12×12 book is a genuinely premium item, as are four beautifully rendered art prints. And yet, the album and b-sides LPs are available separately as a double-disc gatefold for £30, so it’s £70 for the slipcase, book, prints and double album of unreleased bits. You’ll need to be a superfan, I suspect, but that is, largely, at whom such sets are aimed. Mastered at Abbey Road and cut by Geoff Pesche, the mostly-quiet Optimal-pressed discs sound excellent, with a wide, open soundstage that extends outwards into the room.
And what of the music? Well, the unreleased selection provided – with more available on the 6CD edition – largely serves to highlight why the material was previously shuttered, but there are some exceptions. An aborted 1950s cover record is represented by some languidly reinterpreted takes on ‘Three Steps To Heaven’ and ‘Rock And Roll Music’ and several unused instrumentals add texture to our understanding of the band’s approach at the time. The main album contains the enduring ‘Every Breath You Take’, along with ‘Wrapped Around Your Finger’, ‘King Of Pain’ and two-part title track. A comparison with the version from the 2018 half-speed mastered box highlights greater vocal presence and space on the earlier edition, but it was a relatively minor difference and those who prefer a warmer, less forensic sound may well favour this 2024 cut. It’s not cheap, but it is very well done indeed.
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The Original Jazz Classics series continues to deliver with ‘South Side Soul’ by The John Wright Trio. Pianist Wright is joined by Wendell Roberts on bass and Walter McCants at the drums. And this expressive hard-bop can really swing. Side one closer ‘63rd And Cottage Grove’ explodes from the speakers, each musician getting their moment in the spotlight, McCants especially notable in his playful diversions and extensions of the beat. And it is often the drums that best demonstrate the majesty of these all-analogue cuts thanks to the space they’re afforded in the soundstage and the completely natural sound of different parts of the kit being utilised. Roberts’ bass is tremendously playful in ‘Sin Corner’ which is followed, neatly, by album closer ‘Amen Corner’ where Wright’s piano is emphatic but sprightly, the reverberation of the final notes especially satisfying. Rudy Van Gelder did the original recording and this new cut sounds superb, reaching far into the room from the speakers. The disc is perfectly silent and this music really does beat with heart and soul of three fully in-sync performers.
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Proper’s ongoing catalogue exploring collaboration with Universal offers up a second Cocteau Twins title, 1993’s ‘Four-Calendar Café’. Inevitably, it is permanently associated with the demise of the relationship between lead singer Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie and marked their first release after leaving 4AD. The slight movement towards a poppier, more accessible sound with 1990’s ‘Heaven Or Las Vegas’ was ramped up for this record and Fraser’s inimitable vocals are far more foregrounded than had previously been the case. As with 1996’s final album, ‘Milk And Kisses’, reissued in January, Robin Guthrie’s remaster is used as the source. While certain tastes may find aspects of the bass and bottom end a little heavy, it sounds substantial and enveloping, The different approach wasn’t for everyone but ‘Evangeline’ is a corker and neatly demonstrates the space in the vocals, breadth in the drums and jangle in the guitars of this mastering. Other single ‘Bluebeard’ has a rich, driving momentum that highlights some separation across the speakers, even if things don’t reach too far out beyond the rectangle around them. The sleeve art is well replicated and the GZ pressing was fairly quiet throughout, despite a couple of clusters of pops.
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Proper have also plucked a third Del Amitri album from the archives with 1989’s ‘Waking Hours’. Marking the start of the sound for which the band have since been known, following 1985’s rather different debut, this set is richly melodic and lyrically compelling, if polished with some excess sheen from the end of its parent decade. ‘Nothing Ever Happens’ remains untouchable, its impeccable ache as stirring after a quarter of a century as it ever was. Side one closer ‘You’re Gone’ highlights the fact that a relatively open master has been used for this GZ-pressed reissue, allowing some breathing space around the twangy acoustic guitar and brooding string parts. Indeed, there’s enough space for the sound to push out from the top of the speakers, with some sharp details at the sides also. The hype sticker says it’s on blue vinyl but it looked pretty green to me, with only a couple of moments of surface noise.
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July’s final Proper/Universal title is another from Julian Cope. 1984’s ‘Fried’ has quite the reputation, in part due to its distinctive sleeve and tales of Steve Lovell seeking Brian Wilson’s production advice via a framed photo over the mixing desk. Not that the songs can’t sell the album on their own, with the superbly titled ‘Bill Drummond Said’ neatly capturing the interplay between mainstream melody and arthouse instinct while the sparse organ accompaniment of closer ‘Torpedo’ demonstrates his range. As with June’s reissue of ‘World Shut Your Mouth’, the mastering is decent without setting the world alight, demonstrating reasonable clarity and separation within a soundstage that only just nudges beyond the rectangular space between the speakers. It’s a fairly quiet GZ pressing tucked inside a faithful replica of the slightly grainy artwork.
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AV8 records is a not for profit label, where any money made goes to the artists or future projects, whose latest offering is a rather understated but bewitchingly beautiful record from Dave Jackson, the vocalist with Liverpudlian new-wavers The Room. Originally released in 2010, Jackson’s first solo album, ‘Cathedral Mountain’, finally gets a vinyl release, pushing this collaboration with Tim O’Shea and John Head – formerly of The Pale Fountains and Shack – back into focus. Fans of legendary Go-Between Robert Forster’s solo work should find much to like here, a low, faintly deadpan delivery being at the heart of these achingly uplifting tracks. The finger-picked opener ‘In The Mud By A River’ is a fine taste of what you can expect, with sweetly sedate melodies, gorgeous backing vocals and languid vowel sounds aplenty. Lyrically, it’s often bleak, a countrified Nick Cave perhaps in spirit, and with plenty of humour too. ‘Going Stray’ is a guaranteed earworm while the title track perfectly demonstrates John Head’s deft vocal accompaniment. The artwork looks tremendous in this format and you get a purple disc inside, manufactured at Press On in Middlesbrough and housed in a poly-lined sleeve. The mastering is superb, with vast swathes of space and a soundstage that pours from the speakers. There was a little surface noise here and there, but nothing concerning.
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The first five Duran Duran albums have been reissued in their original single LP formats for the first time. Described as using the “latest album masters” they’ve all been cut for vinyl at Abbey Road. The original artwork has been niftily restored to how they were in the Eighties, overseen by Malcolm Garrett, who designed the first three. All have their merits, but let’s use 1982’s legendary ‘Rio’, with its distinctive sleeve and clutch of killer singles, as an example. Synthy, new-wave pop with exceptionally fluid bass playing is the template, most of the tracks skewing upbeat and keeping attention off the faintly ropey lyrics. The title track still sparkles with its elevating melody and machine-tooled chorus. ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ has aged very well too, this audio presentation doing a decent job of giving the rhythm section rather more heft and depth than was the vogue in 1982 without losing the department store window sheen of the production. And ‘Save A Prayer’ is gorgeous, with nifty, 3D bass and glittering but not shrill highs. The sonics have lots of precision and the sound extends out from the top of the speakers a little too, making for a pleasing listening experience. All but one of these titles has been done at GZ – ‘Notorious’ comes via Optimal – and there was a little surface noise here and there across the albums, but certainly nothing too distracting.
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Canadian indie-rockers Land Of Talk have revisited their cult-favourite debut EP for ‘Applause Cheer Boo Hiss: The Definitive Edition’. Across two coloured eco-mix discs, listeners are treated to the original 2006 EP plus the three bonus tracks appended for its 2007 UK release on LP1, with the stripped back tour release ‘L’Aventure Acoustique’ occupying the second. The whole lot has been remastered and this marks a debut outing on vinyl for both titles. Elizabeth Powell’s striking vocals, think Cat Power crossed with Courtney Barnett, have something of the early Michael Stipe about their presence here. Often hard to decipher but melodically in service to the music, their voice soars, retreats, distorts, mumbles and swoons in each measure, truly understanding the power of an arch consonant and a lugubrious vowel.
The pointy, scratchy guitars and thundering drums of the trio’s sound position it firmly as a mid-Noughties release, but it has preserved much of its charm. Not only that, the lyrics have much to offer also. ‘Speak To Me Bones’ is a visceral reaction to experiences of physical abuse in the music industry, while ‘Summer Special’ uses a soaring backdrop to unpick the impact of gender stereotyping and youthful judgements. Harris Newman’s mastering is pleasing, juggling heft with precision around the bottom end and some deliciously deep bass notes, while avoiding a shrill top end. Apply some volume and this roars into the room, extending up and out of the speakers, even if it’s not the widest soundstage. The acoustic versions are interesting, if not quite as compelling, but there is an endearing cover of Wintersleep’s ‘Weighty Ghost’ at its close. The artwork, delicately embossed on the gatefold cover, has been neatly rendered and the whole package is very satisfying. The GZ-pressed discs are fairly quiet, surface noise inevitably a little more noticeable on the more sparse material of the second half.
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The John Lennon Ultimate Mix series continued this month with 1973’s ‘Mind Games’. As with all of the previous titles, the main album has received a fresh stereo production using digital transfers of the original multitracks. This translates to a chunkier, slightly more veiled mid-range and a bloated heft in the bottom end. A quick comparison with the edition in the 2015 ‘Lennon’ vinyl box set highlighted the differences, the older pressing possessing much more space at the top end and proving far more nimble and, frankly, musical in its presentation of the instruments. As an album, it has its moments – the title track, ‘Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple)’ and ‘Intuition’ still sparkle – but it’s far from prime Lennon. For the 2LP edition, you get the unflattering remix and a second disc of outtakes versions of the entire album. They’re interesting, but an occasional listen at best. The two GZ pressed records were fairly quiet throughout, although shiny inners means there’s a decent risk of some noise, and a spattering of printed matter doesn’t really make the £45 price tag any more palatable. And let’s not mention the £1350 box set, eh?
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Brazilian singer-songwriter, Ana Frango Eletrico caused quite the stir with their essential 2023 Mr Bongo release and, a more considerable audience now having been found, attention turns to earlier releases. It’s their second album, ‘Little Electric Chicken’ that Mr Bongo have licensed for us to discover, following the outpouring of love for ‘Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua’. A somewhat more conventional wonky-indie-Brazilian pop record, it is short but perfectly formed at only 29 minutes. Opener ‘Saudade’ includes some lounge percussion and backing vocals augmented by a deliciously languid rhythm, ‘Promessas e Previsoes’ has a sunset-imbued trumpet parp that feels Bacharachian and ‘Se No Cinema’ has a joyously lopsided procession towards a full on freak-out at the end. It’s not overly similar to the 2023 triumph, but it more than warrants a fresh appraisal. As ever with the good folk at Mr Bongo, this is a near-silent Optimal pressing in a poly-lined inner, tucked in an immaculate gatefold sleeve with a printed insert. The soundstage is dynamic and precise, encouraging plenty of cranking, but it performs excellently at low levels too.
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Craft’s Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf Series offers up a fiftieth anniversary outing for The Round Robin Monopoly’s ‘Alpha’, originally released on Stax imprint Truth Records. More funk-soul than jazz, it is a swinging, funky dose of rhythm with gloriously strident male vocals from Robin Lloyd, the ‘round’ chap who gives the ensemble their name. ‘Average Man’ comes clattering out of the blocks with a hint of Edwin Starr about it and it’s one of many upbeat triumphs across this concise record’s sub-thirty minute run time. You may well recognise parts of the much-sampled ‘Life Is Funky’ which, despite being the most high-profile track here, is great fun but not on a par with ‘Little People’ and shimmering percussive marvel ‘People Do Change’, with its subtle but effective backing vocals. RTI have done a sterling job of the pressing and it’s always the rhythm section presence on original analogue soul records that sounds so striking, never quite being the same when cut from digital. This can handle some volume and the soundstage is enormous, moving the air in front of you and affording great depth to the vocals. Great funk soul music done as it should be is hard to top and, at just over £30 in a beautiful tip-on sleeve, it’s not ridiculously priced either.
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At The Front Of The Racks:
2018 documentary ‘Almost Fashionable’ perfectly captured the frankly delicious way in which Travis conduct themselves. Long-since established as one of the whipping boys for the post-Britpop mopey indie scene, they appear to care not a jot about such commentary and, instead, relish making music together and performing for those who love it. ‘L.A. Times’ is the band’s tenth album and fourth since they seemed to make peace with doing their own thing for the love of it. It’s also, arguably, their finest in at least seventeen years and maybe even since ‘The Invisible Band’. They have a formula that works, a knack for hooks and atmosphere that has never deserted them and a group dynamic that is always inviting. Fran Healy has a gorgeous voice that hides nothing, communicating as much through tone as syllables, and this record follows him revealing a split from his wife, Nora Kryst, with whom he was in a relationship for over twenty years. While ’10 Songs’ was actually a break up album, the echoes continue to reverberate.
Opener ‘Bus’ taps into Healy’s fondness for that mode of travel with an oh-so-very-Travis plucked guitar line and swooning melody, while ‘Live It All Again’ commences with that falsetto and appears to address those recent personal changes, the lyric stating “If I could turn the clock back, I would live it all again.” The knockabout bar room piano feel and emphatic brass of ‘Gaslight’ is propelled by a beat with the same irresistible heft as 2007’s lost classic ‘Selfish Jean’. All of the well-known variations of their sound are on show here, with a few intriguing deviations along the way. The splendidly titled ‘I Hope That You Spontaneously Combust’ has a rhythmic structure that almost seems to be going in reverse and calls to mind Beck’s poppier side. The title track and closer is an outlier that will likely split opinion, with an intense, rather sweary spoken word, stream of consciousness approach to the verses. It’s not awful, but it feels a little jarring after what has come before and is catnip for the detractors. Dave Cooley has delivered a rich, textured soundstage that sits between the speakers but has plenty of openness at the top end. The Optimal pressing is near-silent throughout and the artwork needs to be done at 12×12 size. How nice to have them on such fine form once again.
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All titles reviewed above were cleaned before playback using the ultrasonic record cleaning machine, Degritter. A full review of its capabilities can be found in a previous column and you can find local dealers at www.degritter.com
Words: Gareth James (For more vinyl reviews and turntable shots, follow @JustPlayed on Twitter)
