Clive Langer might not be a household name to RPM Online readers but I’m pretty damn sure you’ve heard his production on some huge hits. ‘Come On Eileen’ anyone? Bowie ‘Absolute Beginners’, Costello, Madness, Morrissey and Teardrop Explodes to name a few. This ‘New Clang’ is my first foray into his performances as a musician and as soon as the first bar leapt out of the speakers I was impressed with the quality not just of the production that’s a given I guess but the music that it focusses on. ‘Know Me’ does have some Bowie coursing through its DNA and that’s always going to be a good thing.

The amps get turned up on the lively ‘Page 1’ then its sit back and let the music wash over you. ‘Lo-Hi’ cruises at a gentle pace maybe akin to late 80s Bowie in style dare I say Tin Machine for style with the big drums and harsh guitars mixed with the hushed spoken sung vocals with some impressive gang vocals. The record gently evolves via ’14th Floor’ and its piano driven melody I’m thinking Hunter and Ray Davies but more of that later.

‘Bulldozer’ is an angular rocker that jars whereas ‘Southend’ wheezes on the keys against a full-blooded bass line painting a musical picture of the Town perfectly. The album reaches a peak with ‘Its Wild Out There’ and its percussive chaos in the opening before easing back into a purposeful jaunt down some Mott the Hoople Rock.

The end of the record is the sound of a band and songwriter freewheeling towards the climax with the playful ‘Wrong House’ before the big reflective ‘Addiction’, this being the first time in almost 50 years he’s written sober and that’s some achievement accepting the past and moving on is always a good place to be and I guess that’s reflected in this album and its qualities. There’s a nod to the past and the influences but it doesn’t overshadow Clive Langer and The Clang Group and what they’ve achieved here.

Staying on the subject of booze, the album ends with a Ray Davies cover of ‘Alcohol,’ and then the album is done. I really enjoyed that. I went in blind, not knowing what to expect, but I ended up being impressed with the songs. So I guess I would recommend you go check this out. If any of the touch points I’ve mentioned here have raised an eyebrow of interest, you won’t regret it.

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Author: Dom Daley