Whelligan - In Pursuit Of Inchoate Visions Of Beauty

 

The final Review of the 31 in 31 is something very close to my heart and deliberately left until the last review. I last visited Whelligan for his previous 2022 album, In The Mean Meantime, a corking affair, you can read my review here. 

So four years on cometh the follow up and it is an absolutely charming offering of Indie Pop and Neo Psych, wonderfully pastoral. Produced by long time IDHAS favourite Nick Frater and there are similarities to Frater, but this is less Guitar Pop and more life affirming.

The use of Brass and Acoustics enhances a really thought provoking album. It may be gentle, Jamie Whelligan's vocals will always give you that, but the arrangements are absolutely stunning. The Melotron just melts my heart when it appears.

The theme is about Whelligan's growing up in 80s Birkenhead. It is an area that I am utterly familiar with, having worked on the Wirral for most of my life. I know the times well to as the town and Liverpool were in the midst of the Thatcher slump, all we really got was some nice gardens and managed decline.

It wasn't as mellow as this album though as anyone going through St. Johns Subway at night would testify. but there was a defining spirit, an ability to laugh at the degradation with a self reference. So to the album, which is a must for all.

It is pensive, beautiful, if I don't sound too soft using that word and just to show Whelligan isn't all about soundscapes, there is a jaw dropping piece of Scouse Guitar Pop in the closer. Game Over, which revives the Brass as a Revue band and even has a lullaby instrumental extract to end.

I really don't think you will hear a more affecting song than the gentle Psych of Bedroom Reminiscences, truly heartfelt and what an ace Guitar ending. My Friend 'The Messenger' gets all Jazz and Hero To Clown gets close to a mid 60s Studio Ballad, a little Gene Pitney with a Brass Band. 

There's even room for a couple of short instrumentals, the Canterbury-ish Box Of Roses and the Twanging Beau Jolly. The title may be long, but the album is all too short. I just want more and more. It whisks you into a different time and place, magnificently so.

You can listen to and buy the album here.  The CD is available here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2022 : 31-40

 

This year, the standard has been the highest since IDHAS began six and a half years ago. Narrowing things down to this 100 as been really difficult. For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album.

A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. 

No 31 : The Bye Bye Blackbirds - August Lightning Complex    IDHAS Review

No 32 : Emperor Penguin - Sunday Carvery        IDHAS Review





No 33 : The Summer Holiday - Acqua     IDHAS Review

No 34 : Andy Bopp - An Andy Bopp Compilation          IDHAS Review

      

No 35 : Elvis Eno - A Startling Realization Of The Obvious     IDHAS Review

No 36 : Whelligan - In The Mean Meantime      IDHAS Review


  


No 37 : Phil Yates & the Affiliates - A Thin Thread      IDHAS Review

No 38 :  Derrero - Curvy Lines    IDHAS Review

  

No 39 : Librarians With Hickeys - Handclaps & Tambourines   IDHAS Review 

 
No 40 : The Glad Machine - Hey       IDHAS Review

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Whelligan - In The Mean Meantime

 

The intention was to review the Whelligan album not long after release, having done the release info here. But that post was so popular, being in the ten favourite posts on IDHAS until last week, that it made sense to hold back for a while.

Co-produced by long time I Don't Hear A Single favourite Nick Frater, In The Mean Meantime calls at every point of my own music favourites. Gentle Pastoral Psych Pop mixed with a Melodic Indie Guitar Pop that is not a million miles from Stephen Duffy. 

This has been the world I've largely fell back on over the past three and a half decades. I do move around a bit, but this is the Don default. A gentleness that is interrupted by big hooks and a harmonic beauty that takes you into the world of great Pop and is almost dream like.

For instance, the magnificent Anyone Who Never Had A Heart is like Adam Faith doing Psych Pop with arrangements by Burt Bacharach. Yet Robot sounds like early Gabriel Genesis and  Believe In That is 80s Indie Pop, reminiscent of an extra cheerful Robyn Hitchcock.

Reset The Clock has a wonderful country twang as the main riff in what is essentially 60s UK Beat and Beyond The Mean Meantime is a fine slice of Prog. In Our Name emphasises the lyrical thoughts across a lot of the album. There is a real "How did it come to this" weariness that could only come from a child of the North. The arrangement here is particularly wonderful.

Rabid Hole goes all BBC Workshop in vibe, with a lyrical cheerfulness accompanying a mindful lyric. The party Dance should be on any album by The Lilac Time that you would care to choose. That is the wonder of this album, it is never ever gonna loose its grasp of melody.

Jamie Whelligan is never gonna raise his voice, mind you as an Everton supporter, he is well entitled too. He's gonna get his point across with charming splendidly arranged addictive music. Thank goodness, because too few can make a fully joined up album as this.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD or as a download.

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Whelligan - In The Mean Meantime (Updated)

 

The Bandcamp link for the album is now live. You can listen to and buy the album here. 

There is so much connected with this release that my heart is seriously warmed. I first came into contact with Jamie Whelligan via my friendship with Nick Frater. Nick is involved here as Co-Producer and adding additional keyboards. 

Jamie's Wirral connection made me even more interested and I've followed him in both his solo adventures and his Psych collaboration, Annexe The Moon and played both on the IDHAS Audio escapades. Now we have the debut Whelligan album and the local connections grow.

Released on the 9x9 Records label, the sister label of Liverpool's magnificent 81 Renshaw. Not only will I be able to tell you about a splendid album, but it is something on home turf, something that doesn't happen that often in the cosmopolitan world of I Don't Hear A Single. That is something is planned to change throughout this year.

In The Mean Meantime is released tomorrow and the plan was to review the album pre-release. However, I so much wanted people to hear the songs beforehand and the best way to do that is via Bandcamp and tomorrow is the latest Bandcamp Friday. That will allow me to embed a few songs and for you to listen to the album track by track.

So the full review will be over the weekend, but I will provide links to pre-order or buy from tomorrow below. I am convinced that this will be a contender for many reviewers' end of the year lists. It is magnificent Pop Rock, with more than a hint of pastoral Psych Pop.

It brings to mind the likes of The Lilac Time and Robyn Hitchcock. Yet Fragile could be Al Stewart, Anyone Who Never Had A Heart is wonderful Toytown Baroque Pop and Rabid Hole is 70s Space Rock. Believe In That is top notch 70s Pop Rock and just wait until you hear the closer, The Situation.

The Bandcamp link to listen to and buy the album is here. There is an album release show is tomorrow (April 1) night at Future Yard In Birkenhead. Details of that are here. You can order CD and Vinyl here and at all good record shops.  You can find out more about Jamie Whelligan here and here. You can find out more about 9X9 Records here.

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