{"id":4959,"date":"2019-04-12T05:00:18","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T05:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=4959"},"modified":"2019-04-11T23:14:20","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T23:14:20","slug":"the-wildhearts-renaissance-men-graphite-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=4959","title":{"rendered":"The Wildhearts \u2013 \u2018Renaissance Men\u2019 (Graphite Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It\u2019s been 10 long years since The Wildhearts released their last album \u2018Chutzpah!\u2019 If there was any justice in the world it would\u2019ve been a massive hit album for them, and Ginger would have the recognition he deserves as one of the UK\u2019s most prolific and constantly creative songwriters.<\/p>\n

But lady luck has never shone down on The Wildhearts, she just threw shit in their general direction. Drugs & alcohol, in-band fights and shitty record labels got in the way. Even though they scraped the top 20 and featured on TOTP multiple times, sadly it was never meant to be. It would seem that sometimes, even the greatest bands are destined to never make it.<\/p>\n

But the Wildhearts have a legacy, a fucking great musical legacy that will never be erased whatever the future holds. While they disbanded after \u2018Chutzpah!\u2019 (for the umpteenth time), there have been sporadic reunion gigs and anniversary tours. And with original bassist Danny McCormack back where he rightfully belongs, the classic line-up of The Wildhearts entered the studio to record the album many fans thought they would never get to hear.<\/p>\n

It seems you can\u2019t keep a good band down, and The Wildhearts are back in your face, fighting fit and stronger than ever before.<\/p>\n

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The metallic riff to \u2018Dislocated\u2019 blasts open the album like \u2018Live Wire\u2019 opened \u2018Too Fast For Love\u2019. Did I just reference Motley Crue in a Wildhearts album review? Yes, I did! But that\u2019s where the resemblance ends, as \u2018Dislocated\u2019 goes off on a musical tangent to itself, as The Wildhearts are well known to do. Tackling mental health and alienation, the lyrics are spat with the vitriolic, reckless abandon of a man literally teetering on the edge of sanity.<\/p>\n

Fuck me, that chorus! It builds and builds and keeps on giving. Then there\u2019s the welcome return of Danny\u2019s unmistakable bass rumble, as much a part of The Wildhearts sound as anthemic choruses and crunchy guitars. \u2018Dislocated\u2019 is a song for the outcasts in an age where Ginger\u2019s lyrics are more relevant than ever.<\/p>\n

Next, we are straight into \u2018Let \u2018em Go\u2019. Classic, anthemic Wildhearts at their finest. A football terraced style anthem with an uplifting chorus you will be singing on first listen, and long after the needle has lifted. \u201cLet \u2018em go, let the shit-filled rivers flow\u201d \u00a0the whole band chant, as you wonder how you have survived for so long without this melody in your head. A future live favourite for sure. No one does it better…no one.<\/p>\n

The following title track is a weird one, not sure about this yet. The almost tribal beats and backing chants bring to mind the film \u2018Madagascar\u2019 for some reason. With a cool riff and a great euphoric chorus, it\u2019s a song about the band being back in your face, and hopefully, they are here to stay.<\/p>\n

\u2018Fine Art Of Deception\u2019 is a song I first heard Ginger and CJ play acoustic at The Fulford Arms in York last year. This is a tune that could have been lifted from the \u2018555%\u2019 sessions, I feel. The \u201cbullshit\u201d refrain stands out as pure Wildhearts fodder though and harks back to their early days.<\/p>\n

\u2018Diagnosis\u2019 builds on an AC\/DC style riff before morphing into classic Wildhearts crunchy goodness. Air guitar and goosebumps (see Pilo Erection below) come hand in hand as Ginger and CJ\u2019s vocal harmonies intertwine to create the magic we love and crave from The Wildhearts. It builds to a euphoric, killer chorus set to be a mainstay at hot and sweaty future gigs.<\/p>\n

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\u2018My Kinda Movie\u2019 will kick off side two (if you are listening on cassette or vinyl). It comes on like a classic Wildhearts B side, and we all know how good those are, right? A metallic, staccato riff makes way for intense, urgent drums from probably the most underrated drummer in rock music, Ritch Battersby. Chugging, dampened guitars match the rhythm of the verse that makes way for a gang vocal chorus, a wild as fuck wah-wah solo and a section that goes up the musical scale again and again. Holy shit, that\u2019s a workout!<\/p>\n

\u2018Little Flower\u2019 is again, a song I heard previewed acoustic last year and one of the most instant songs on the album. CJ penned I believe, it certainly has his knack of pop sensibilities stamped all over it. A hook as catchy as anything out there, it will bury deep into the subconscious on first listen and threaten never to leave, job done.<\/p>\n

That signature Wildhearts dampened, crunchy regimental riffage introduces \u2018Emergency (Fentanyl Babylon)\u2019. The subject matter is pretty self-explanatory, here Ginger even name-checks Tom Petty and Prince before laying waste with a brutal chorus that will incite the listener to shout the \u201cemergency\u201d refrain and bang their heads until the beats abruptly cease. Glorious in all the right places.<\/p>\n

\u2018My Side Of The Bed\u2019 is disjointed riff-o-rama in god knows what time signature, with sublime vocal harmonies that suck you in on first listen. There is so much going on in this crazy song it\u2019s hard to describe, but imagine Cheap Trick jamming with Primus for starters. So much love for this tune already.<\/p>\n

The \u201cone-two-fuck you\u201d count in signals the closing track \u2018Pilo Erection\u2019. Crunch, bang, wallop! We are up and running for the final time as the band get a full-on workout, riff after riff and chanting gang vocals aplenty, a powerhouse performance especially from Ritch as his skills are tested to the max.<\/p>\n

If you are wondering what Pilo Erection means, Google the fucker like I did! Let\u2019s just say The Wildhearts give me a Pilo Erection everytime and you can quote me on that.<\/p>\n

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The arrival of a new Wildhearts album has always been an event. Call me biased, but it makes me realise that most other bands pale in comparison and it has been so long that I nearly forgot that!<\/p>\n

I was expecting this album to be a cross between \u2018Earth Vs\u2019 and \u2018Chutzpah!\u2019, yet surprisingly it sounds like neither, in fact, it sounds like no other Wildhearts album that has come before it.<\/p>\n

Like \u2018Fishing For Luckies\u2019 and the self-titled \u2018White Album \u2018, \u2018Renaissance Men\u2019 takes multiple listens to sink in and every time I listen, something new jumps out. My favourite track is changing on a daily basis and even though it\u2019s early days, I can\u2019t imagine I will hear anything better this year.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, this is as much a resurgence as a renaissance and we can expect more from this band in the near future. But for now, bask in the glory that is the new Wildhearts album and come back in 6 months when it\u2019s all sunk in and tell me how great it is.<\/p>\n

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Author: Ben Hughes<\/p>\n

Buy Renaissance\u00a0Men Here<\/a><\/p>\n