A ‘Live’ album from Gypsy Roller but also has bonus Demos / Outtakes. It’s not a band name I’ve heard from in quite a while way before the pandemic but it has to be said a proper throwback to when Glam meant Bolan Boogie and twin guitar attack. Gypsy Roller is essentially Gil Soliz and his vehicle for kicking out the jams.
What you effectively get is a couple of dozen songs with the first ten being a live performance from a proper Rock and Roll band who have it coursing through their veins. Just think the boogie and swagger of early Aerosmith and the street cred of Bon-era DC and you’re on the right path. Mix it up with the unmistakable street smarts of The Dolls and you might be in the right ballpark. The bad boy boogie of ‘City Of Angels’ messes about with the Noo Yawk sass of Lou Reed on ‘Waiting In Line’. These boys can obviously play and they’re quite happy to throw in some tightly woven jazzy breaks to compliment the groovy harder rock but it is clearly all about the music here and when you hit the demos you enter a world that indulges on 60s Kinks and some sleazy Stones on ‘She’s Got The Structure’.
Some of the demos double up which is cool to hear the difference in the recordings from some quite early on generic “live” demos to a much fuller production. ‘Whatcha gonna Do’ is Stonesy meets Primal Scream when they wanted to be Keith n Mick. The no-nonsense straight-up street vibe of ‘I Like It Like That’ is fantastic. There is even time to get a little laid back and sleazy on ‘Some Girls’ of course getting an LUV in somewhere is perfect something David Johannsen would be proud of. Don’t take my word for it Let the music do the talking and get onto Bandcamp for some previous recordings from Gypsy Roller you won’t regret it.
Get on it Here kids it’s a wonderful collection of songs from a very talented group of musicians.
Gil is ably supported by Ron Wesley on Lead guitar, Jonas Greene on Rhythm, Doug Reichard on Drums and Adam Bartell on bass Guitar and produced by Allan Davis. Check it out at the links.
Something must be in the air as we ready ourselves for the return of the Norwich troubadour Marc Valentine and his latest slab of power pop perfection. Yes, the voice of the power pop dandies the Last Great Dreamers is back with the successor to his 2022 debut long player ‘Future Obscure’.
Jumping straight in with the infectious ‘Complicated Sometimes’ – Marc continues doing what he does best – hook after glorious hook, without a breather, it is straight in with the new single ‘Tyrannical Wrecks’, which also highlights how much of the original sound of the ‘Dreamers’ Marc is.
Following up such a glorious single is last year’s single ‘Skeleton Key’, which shows off Marc’s storytelling prowess and blasts even more sunshine through my speakers, which is always a good thing.
As usual with Marc and anything he touches, all of the songs could easily be future singles. ‘Eve of Distraction’ is another fine slab of nostalgic magic. These songs all hark back to a carefree era, but the kicker is that the lyrics are on the ball, with what is current and a message that while bleak – we always have hope.
‘I Wanna Be Alone’ is another power pop sensation, which is followed by a change of pace in the form of ‘3 AM Anderson Drive’, which takes me back to the Dreamers’ ‘Retrosexual’ debut of some 30 years ago.
Hitting the midway mark (no pun intended), is ‘Strange Weather’, which has seen love from none other than Stevie Van Zandt, who classed it as – The Coolest Song in the World back in ~January. Well, who can argue with a claim like that, not me?
‘You Are One Of Us Now’ features a chorus that is so catchy, that has seen me humming it, along with most of this album, since I’ve had it. Such a great earworm is a blessing and a true sign of music that will live on forever.
‘Opening Chase Theme’ does exactly what the title says and you can imagine it on a retro-tastic buddy cop show chase scene. Complete with more Na-na-na’s than any song should rightly have in this day and age. But with music so infectious, who cares?
‘Repeat Offender’ complete with its Honeycrack-esque intro is another sublime slice of pop perfection. And then without any warning, we are on the last track ‘Ballad of Walt’, the piano-led pomp-tastic tune that closes off an easy album of the year contender.
This album picks up straight from the debut in every way, from sugar-infused pop. All of this features music that has no business in being as good as it is, but then I’ve always been a bit partial to the vocal stylings of the Valentine, back from the days of Silver Hearts, Last Great Dreamers and not forgetting their mid -’90s name change Jet.
While his debut was ‘Future Obscure’, Marc is back with a future classic in the form of ‘Basement Sparks’. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy as soon as it hits the shelves. You can always thank yourself later.
It’s almost a year since I first set foot in The Cab, and it’s wonderful to see the team behind the place going from strength to strength and keeping the scene alive, it’s also a staggering 10 years since Christmas frontman Max Motherfucker first brought his band of deathpunk renegades over from Germany to play south Wales, as he is quick to remind us during his band’s headline set here tonight.
Where the hell does the time go eh? That’s why it’s perhaps always best to “live in the moment” as you’ll never know what’s around the corner. You might just be putting on your biggest show ever when Sick Of It All play for you this spring, or you might be just about to celebrate 15 years together as a band. Yup it’s all about the here and now folks and tonight is like a mini-Slugfest, but on tour, as four bands who have all played at south Wales’s finest DIY free festival share a stage at Newport’s finest DIY punk rock venue. Four bands, £6 entrance fee…bosh! How’s that for living in the now?
Kicking things off are The Setbacks from Bath and the five-piece fair rattle through their set finishing off with a riotous rendition of ‘Lulu’s Leaving’. The healthy-sized crowd loving every minute of tonight’s starter for ten and I must admit it had been way too long since I last saw them live. Tidy!
That can’t be said of System Reset, however, as this popular combo seems to pop up wherever there’s a punk rock show occurring, and it shows in just how slick an outfit they have become. Tracks like opener ‘March’, ‘Anxiety’ and (still my favourite track by the band) ‘Fail Safe’ positively bounce along, containing almost as much spring in their step as frontman Stan, who just doesn’t stop. ‘Big Business’ is always how a Reset show ends and it’s a middle finger to the corporate world we all live in. Talking of which, rumour has it that Sutton and Shov from the Reset have got the original Trigger McPoopshute line up back together for one last hurrah! Perhaps a co-headline tour with Terry & The Idiots awaits, or maybe it’ll be Rebellion 2025?
A band that I feel have long since warranted a slot at Rebellion are Newport’s Deathtraps. Now a full year into being a quartet the band are currently recording album number five, and if tonight is anything to go by it’s going to be their most ferocious slab of wax yet. ‘Red Eyes And Black Kisses’, Too Much is Never Enough’ and ‘Cool Kids’ are all present and correct from the old trio days but it’s the new cuts like (please note I may have these titles slightly incorrect) ‘You’re The One’ and ‘Right Thing’ that positively hammer home why Deathtraps in this new expanded format truly are a mighty force to be reckoned with.
It’s going to take a special kind of band to top the sonic fury of Deathtraps and thankfully Christmas (playing on a leap year day too, just to totally mess with my OCD mind) are just that band. Frontman Max has his shirt off and is in our faces before ‘Wolfpack’ has even had a chance to howl and throughout the band’s 20 odd song set he’s constantly in and out of the crowd cajoling those brave enough to stand in front of him to sing along with the band’s incendiary back catalogue. He’s such a blur of energy that even the Cab’s normally Tonka truck strong vocal PA (this is a set up that withstood Clobber and Conservative Military Image on the same bill remember) gives up the ghost just ahead of ‘Appetite for Selfdestruction’ and with a shorter microphone cable attached and Max finally partially tethered the likes of ‘Hot Nights in Saint Vandal’ ‘Nothing But A Handjob’ and the immense ‘Candy Me’ all sound like firecrackers in the head. There’s just enough time for a run through of Turbonegro’s ‘Ride With Us’ before ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ sends me out into the cold night air loaded up on band merch, recognising the fact that any group that has driven for 15 hours and passed through 6 countries to get to play for you fully deserves our support.
The band just stood at a tram stop in Vienna for 15 minutes and filmed the video. In 20 years that tram stop will be the most famous tram stop in the world. Heading out on tour with The Hives is also next on the list of things to do for Bad Nerves and on the strength of the new song they’ll give the Hives a damn good run for their money
The new record is coming out 31st May. It’s called ‘Still Nervous’. They thought up that title in the car park out the back of Rotown in Rotterdam in 2021 and it stuck.
Life’s full of surprises. My teenage self wouldn’t have believed that in 2024 I would be reviewing a new album by One The Juggler. Granted, 2020’s ‘The Ocean Man’ was a welcome return after the ‘Destination Planet Blue’ compilation. There were new, joyous tunes, but while ‘Memoir Days’ might occasionally be reminiscing of the pomp and ambition of youth, it holds together better as an album.
‘We Love It All’ is really an intro, full of optimism and positivity, leading into ‘Talking To Ourselves’. This song, along with lead track ‘Jennifer Heaven’, are the natural successors to ‘Nearly A Sin’; the mix of acoustic guitar and Ronno styled electric, with a touch of Bolan melodies. Yes, the Bowie influences are still here, but it’s the quality of songwriting that was always the band’s strength. Their debut was full of songs they’d already honed live, like many bands. ‘Memoir Days’ sounds like the true follow up album, with the title track urging “be sure to write it all down now, while it’s still fresh in your mind”.
Rokko/Sham’s vocals are as distinctive as ever, and a joy to hear. And with Jerry, he has crafted a fine set of songs here, worthy of the name One The Juggler. I regularly bore people with my enthusiasm for ‘Nearly A Sin’, but everyone I’ve recommended it to has loved it.
‘The Revolution’s On Your Phone’ is like a long-lost Mott classic, majestic stuff indeed.
‘Sylvia Strange’ is as catchy as the title deserves to be, a swoonsome slice of pop, while ‘When We Get Home’ ups the pomp, an instant hook, like Suede’s dubious uncles who still know a trick or two. This one’s on replay.
‘Andy’s Bar’ has a similar melancholy to ‘(O No) You’re Not The Same’, lyrically I think Brel would approve, and the acoustic touches are beautiful. ‘Into The Blue Eternity’ is a bittersweet end. “Between the dishes and the laundry, her mind is planning an escape…”
Influences aside, this sounds like a One The Juggler album, and it’s all the better for it. Welcome to their world. It will improve yours.
Welcome to Episode 16 of our little Podcast where DD And Hotshot bring you some top tunes from the archives. We have some brand new tunes from current records that have either just been released or are about to be released as well as tunes from the archives such as Joe Strummers demo outtake of ‘Coma girl’ that is taken from his boxset 002.
First up in this Episode is a Steve Lillywhite recording of Johnny Thunders recording ‘Leave Me Alone’ recorded with current Damned bass player Paul Gray alongside drummer Steve Nicol. It was eventually released on a 10″ EP on Remarquable Records alongside three other tracks. It was a remarkable time for Thunders who went on to release ‘So Alone’ with a veritable host of bonafide Superstars, spawning his best work (arguably) that included the epic ‘You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory’.
Next up Hotshot picked a Hanny J track ‘Days Felt Like Years’ From her 2019 EP ‘Possession’. HAnny is known for her bass playing in Melbourne punks Clowns but this change of pace offers an insight into her talents as a songwriter and singer.
Ming City Rockers have just completed a new album and whilst we wait for them to start dropping details of when we can expect to hear songs of fit you’ll have to make do with ‘Desperate’ from their last album ‘Lime’ which was released early in 2023. We’ve already had the one-track drop so hopefully, it’s soon when we’ll get news.
Guitar pop indie kids Ash released a great new album late last year and have just released it as an extended option ‘Race The Night’ comes out with an extra raft of tracks. If it’s classic tracks you’re after then look no further than Misfits classic ‘Hybrid Moments’ lifted from the Box set version ‘Static Age’. Digitally remastered from the band’s classic debut – You can’t argue that Early Misfits didn’t deliver and anyone whos seen them play recently can testify that they still have it.
Scandinavian punks The Good The Bad And The Zugly are about to release something of a compilation album based on B sides of singles and a new cut that we play spanning the band’s 15 years of doing this. ‘Decade Of Regression’ hits the shops on the 5th of April. Catch them on tour now!
Next up The Drowns knock out their single ‘Ketamine And Cola’ from the album ‘Blacked Out’ get it off Pirates Press and I can promise you – you won’t be disappointed.
Jumping back to Scandinavia the pair offer up The Backstreet Girls and ‘Boogie Woman’ lifted from their latest album of loud infectious rock n roll ‘In Lust We Trust’. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it which is the mantra the band adhere to and continues to turn out top tunes and top albums.
Joe Strummer gets aired and a demo of ‘Coma Girl’ lifted from his second box set ‘002’ The Mescaleros years. It’s hard to believe that Strummer passed in 2002 and those studio albums still sound fresh and relevant all these years later. This is one of the early outtakes of the track and still, I champion it as his most outstanding solo post Clash record. The box set is well worth investigating full of artefacts and really well designed.
Who doesn’t love Slade? I guess if you’re still reading and you hit the link to play the podcast then you’re going to love this live recording which was recently released on splatter vinyl. ‘Them Kinda Monkeys Can’t Swing’ is a barnstorming opener and this version is particularly good. After a quick check, I can correct myself and say this recording was made from a few nights at the theatre in 1975 so right smack in the middle of the band’s pomp. Captured for a BBC performance Slade are remembered by a slew of fine albums that have just had the rerelease treatment and this is one not to miss alongside the Reading performance that the pair chat about. If you’ve never delved into the Slade archive then what better place to start than a live album stacked with absolute bangers. there aren’t many frontmen with a set of pipes like Holders and on this song he gives his vocals a damn good workout.
Maverick Ryan Adams recently dropped five albums on the same day (now that doesn’t happen every day) one of those albums particularly piqued my attention and ‘Skulls’ is lifted from the album ‘1985’. A daunting and huge back catalogue maybe if you start from this recent album drop you have pretty much the whole sound of the guy in one day – five albums mind and all crammed with tunes. Try him.
Gene Loves Jezebel recently released an album on Cleopatra Records ‘x – Love Death Sorrow’ and it contained a very mixed bag in as much as there were Four covers with the originals and one that caught our ears in the classic post-punk/ New Wave ‘Another Girl Another Planet’ but put their Gothic twist and owned The Only Ones classic taking it somewhere we weren’t expecting but thoroughly enjoyed.
NWOBHM aficionados might baulk at our ignorance when we encounter the recent Cherry Red Records compilation ‘All Systems Go’ and the Crucifixion track ‘Jailbait’. The beauty of these retro boxsets is that you discover bands like this that you might have missed first time around. Don’t take my word for it hit the podcast and get on it.
I think it’s the first Replacements track we’ve dived into on the podcast certainly the first one lifted from the superb ‘Tim’ album box set that came out last year with a superb remix that elevates the album from what we were used to. Possibly hearing the one track in isolation doesn’t do it justice but ‘Kiss Me On The Bus’ is a belter and if you’re new to the Replacements then this is a quality album/box set to dive into it also includes some fantastic live recordings. one of Americas best gifts to music ever – you can take that to the bank.
Finally, on this episode, Laura Jane Grace closes off the show with the title track off her new solo album ‘Hole In My Head’ an album that offers the listener her usual variety of electric and acoustic songs as she rages against the machine. Its her fourth album and this is just a taste of what to expect from another fantastic album. Punk, Folk Rock, Acoustic, Rebel Rousing Grace is compulsive listening and this album maintains the super high standard of songwriting be it as a solo artist or fronting Against Me! or Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers.
I’m sure you’ll agree if you can understand our poetical Welsh voices we do have the gift of the best music available whatever variety it might be. Join in – let us know what you think. If you have a request or a topic you’d like us to play/discuss then get in touch.
Listen-Folow-Like-Share. Thanks from the pair of us.
True Sounds of Liberty started causing trouble way back in 1978 and the birth of punk rock/hardcore in Los Angeles. Playing with the fury of their hardcore contemporaries but with a goth rock/New Romantic image and sharp melodies.
T.S.O.L. quickly got a reputation as the band stood pretty much alone and were more than happy to furrow lone paths into different styles something which they’ve done right up to the present and certainly under Jack Grishams leadership.
This is the bands 12th long-player, and probably their most diverse and varied album to date. Still with the throbbing blackened heart they had when they kicked off in this scene but with much wiser more savvy heads. The band has released a handful of singles recently with the help of Paul Roessler at Kitten Robot Studio.
Jack Grisham has his trusty sidekicks, guitarist Ron Emory and bassist Mike Roche (all from the band’s first line-up), they are joined by longtime keyboardist Greg Kuehn and Antonio Hernandez on drums. and armed with twelve brand new tunes, well, when I say brand new tunes I mean new tunes to T.S.O.L. Eight original, and Four covers. Now you might think Four Covers is a bit cheeky but when you dig into them and hear how they take them on you’ll be delighted they bothered and you did as well.
The album’s opening track is a particularly punchy affair entitled ‘Low-Low-Low’, it’s vibrant and has a really bright and energetic production that helps motor the song along and once Jack’s distinguished vocal enters the fray there is a comfortable ease around proceedings. Ron’s guitar is wholesome and sharp just like you’d hoped it would be. Emery is one of those players who has a wonderful touch and tone and can whip up a hurricane through his amp when he needs to and can make you sit up and pay attention much like Brian James. That magical feeling when a band you love hits your ears with new music and it just takes off, well, thats ‘Low Low Low’ right there thundering along its a great opener.
Now I am one of those people who absolutely loved ‘The Trigger Complex’ and happen to think it contained some of the band’s finest material period. Not since ‘Code Blue’ or ‘Abolish Government’ I mean full stop ‘Why Can’t We Do It Again’ was majestic as was ‘Nothing Ever Lasts’ Well this album follows on with that strength of songwriting that I guess a youthful wild and reckless T.S.O.L. couldn’t have delivered and thats cool by me. I did raise an eyebrow when the band threw out the first cover. The Rhythm Of Cruelty’ from Magazine but to their credit its a killer version and they totally own it.
By track three the first curveball is thrown and after a few plays I get it and it makes me smile that Jack and fellow legend Keith Morris join forces on a raucous take on ‘Sweet Transvestite’ is undertaken. It’s epic and is perfectly camp as Jack turns in a spectacular performance alongside Morris. Now, thats how to do a cover.
The album coasts along with some vibrant and uptempo songs with Grisham sounding in fine form with some great melodies and choruses like ‘Never Go Home’. ‘Nothings Ever Right’ has a real earworm in the call back to Jacks barbs in the first verse but the energy thrown out by the band is fantastic. ic. ‘1 Thing’ originally by Amerie is a heaving beast with some great BVs and a huge guitar sound from Emery. ‘The Way You Groove’ and the infectious ‘Swimming’ are deep cuts of real quality particularly ‘Swimming’ built around a really good Ron Emery guitar riff but the subtle keys and handclaps take it somewhere else not to mention the thumping rhythm section who to be fair play a blinder throughout the record stoking the fire in the engine room.
Theres magic in these grooves and it fills my heart with joy that T.S.O.L. are in the mood to deliver such a fantastic album on the back of their documentary and live shows last year. It’s never too late to get into them if you’re not already a fan and this is a blindingly good record to start and maybe work your way backwards.
But wait there’s more. Before the finale, there’s a beautiful rendition of ‘What A Wonderful World’ complete with strings and piano to accompany Grisham at his crooning best. I hold my hands up when I first saw the track on the record I was prepared to close my eyes and hold my nose but by the time I got to it, it was like a great deep breath before signing off with ‘Can You Hear Me’ which is a wholesome slow burner like a wide screen Bowie-esque laid back smokey late-night ballad, yup I did say that and it’s like Jack always told us he loves his Motown and this fits right in the punkers will vomit but fuck em this is T.S.O.L. and they do what they want. Still taking risks, never playing it safe, and delivering a stunning album. Most definitely one of the albums of 2024 and it’s only March.
Ride Or Die’ is the first single release in nearly two years by Swedish post-punk/goth icons Then Comes Silence. It is also an opening statement of intent from their stunning new album, ‘Trickery’, which is out on 5th April, with vocalist Alex Svenson stating: “Friendship is love. It is important and worth fighting for. It’s ride or die.”
Indeed, much of ‘Trickery’ celebrates friendship, unity and the feeling of belonging to a tribe, with TCS explaining that “being a part of the post-punk and goth scene is a great privilege. After being on the road for so many years, we have experienced caring and welcoming audiences, both old and young, some with a similar background and some just for the love of the music and the culture that comes with the lifestyle. Uniting and harmonising with other people, we feel an incredible community together and it is a feeling that is both priceless and a blessing.”
‘Trickery’ is also the audio definition of triumph over adversity. Backtracking to 2022, on the eve of their first-ever US tour and eager to promote their just released ‘Hunger’ album and its 2020 predecessor ’Machine’, TCS were suddenly and unexpectedly reduced to a three-piece. Would their famed darkwave wall-of-sound still work in a trio format? Fortunately, the answer was resoundingly positive, so much so that they resolved to continue with this slimmed-down line-up on a permanent basis, a period that has already included further US and European tours, followed by their return to the studio to make ‘Trickery’.
The inadvertent metamorphosis of the band has also led to a different way of creating new music. In order to capture the heart and essence of the trio’s live prowess, ‘Trickery’ was recorded in just three days in Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm. With Jonas Fransson (a band member since 2015) laying down an energetic punk backbeat and sleaze punk fan Hugo Zombie (a 2018 recruit) providing inventive and rhythmic guitar lines, the main focus remains on singer and bassist Svenson, the sole surviving founder member from the band’s 2012 debut album. His velvety croon and solid bass lines are enhanced on ‘Trickery’ by retro synth sounds reminiscent of his recent solo futurist wave project, Neonpocalypse. “The electronic elements are essential to ‘Trickery’,” he adds, “but are also a salute to punk music, the cradle of Then Comes Silence and the cradle of post-punk.”
Founded by Svenson in 2012 and touring frequently to promote three albums released in quick succession, TCS soon found a large audience in Germany. Signing to Nuclear Blast in 2016 for the release of ‘Blood’, their fanbase widened as they shared stages with artists such as A Place To Bury Strangers, Chameleons and Fields Of The Nephilim and performed at festivals all over mainland Europe. Firmly in the vanguard of the new generation of post-punk, darkwave and goth artists releasing high quality new material, they work hard to promote it and are recognised as a leading live act in their genre. They have also built a significant UK following and 2024 has already seen them play a sold out London show at the 229 venue.
TCS recently signed to Metropolis Records for the worldwide release of ‘Trickery’
dRecorded in Paris ‘The Black Sessions’ is nine Dinosaur Jr classics performed at arguably the band’s 90s peak as a live outfit. Recorded at Maison De La Radio in Paris on March 2nd 93 this is pressed on coloured vinyl and this is the first record release. Produced in conjunction with the band and INA, France. A companion piece to 2022’s best-selling ‘Seventytwohundredseconds’ MTV EP. The record kicks off in style with an epic ‘Quest’ From the fuzzed up laid back Bass intro this is a pretty epic take on what should be a slacker anthem with a mind-blowing delivery thats as heavy as an anvil but velvet to touch courtesy of Mascis and co who it has to be said is on killer form throughout these sessions. ‘The version of ‘Just Like Heaven’ is rampant again driven in part by the huge thump of the overdriven Bass but the guitar playing is amazing. ‘Freak Scene’ has always been one of my favourite Dinosaur Jr songs and here it’s wild and barely in control but sounds vibrant the solo is insane. Where You Beens ‘Get Me’ is a particular highlight but closing off this recording with tracks from ‘Budge’ from the ‘Bug’ EP and closing with ‘Thumb’ off ‘Green Mind’ and none of the singles like ‘The Wagon’ or ‘Start Choppin’ in sight would love to know if they played more but what we do have from this session is a band absolutely flying and its worth it for the solo on ‘Thumb’ it’s like Mascis is trying to tame a rampant bull thats on steroids. Whipping the living shite out of his guitar its truly a thing of beauty. Obviously, if you’re a fan this is a no brainer and to go alongside what’s already been released this year as a solo offering it’s a reminder that Mascis’s day job as the voice and guitarist in Dinosaur Jr was and still is compelling and a magnificent thing and back in their heyday they were a magnificent beast
Now, I know that Spotify is divisive at best, but I use it to listen to an artist’s back catalogue before buying it direct from them. And, occasionally, it throws some music your way that you might have missed. So, ladies, gents and others let me introduce Scott Yoder to you.
How to describe him? His site says “Seattle-based glam folk singer”, and while this gives a vague impression, he is much more difficult to pin down. It might be easier to say that this is one of my favourite albums so far this year. Visually, he has a bold, striking image, but without the tunes, it wouldn’t add up to much. And what tunes! From lead single ‘Sing Your Broken Song’, I was hooked. I described it to Dom as “a happier Elliott Smith merged with George Harrison”, and this is one side of his sound, but there is so much more.
‘Half-Lived Phantasy’ is gorgeous, the strings and organ enhance what is already a special song. Which is part of his songwriting strength; these songs would sound great stripped back or with a full band. I’ve since listened to his previous albums, which are all good, but it’s clear he’s reached another level of writing here. ‘The Guttersnipe’ is equal parts sinister and euphoric, and I can imagine that it works well theatrically on stage.
‘Sweet Breath Of Love’ has a melody reminiscent of the great Dan Sartain, simple but addictive.
‘Canopy Of Night’ recalls the Theme To M.A.S.H, before taking a different turn. Some hooks are familiar, but Scott’s vision is unique. None of the songs feel overdone, it would be easy to take it too far, but nothing gets in the way of the songs themselves. Speaking of which, ‘Too Foolish’ is my current favourite. “Anything that is too foolish to be written down can be sung…”, what a fantastic line! There is a sly sense of humour at work here as well. And, rather than solos, the songs are peppered with simple, repeated melodies, which I always appreciate. In fact, this song really evokes the memory of Jonny Cola And The A-Grades, as well as Jonny and Jez’s Jukebox Headaches. High praise, folks.
There’s drama, beauty, melancholy and joy here. ‘Who Killed The Lights?’ has all these in one song.
For fans of? Bowie, Lou, Jobriath, Elliott Smith, Suede? Yes, but Scott’s voice and writing is his alone. A hard thing to achieve, so please explore this album and, if you agree, buy it from the artist.
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