The Catenary Wires - Birling Gap

 

I've been meaning to review this album for a few months and finally have. The third offering from The Catenary Wires is a little different to the two that have gone before. The band are now a five piece rather than a duo.

The addition of  Ian Button, Fay Hallam and Andy Lewis on Drums, Keyboards and Bass respectively hasn't changed the direction considerably, but despite the beauty of Amelia Fletcher's voice, this seems more an angry album.

Gone is the Pop of Amelia and Rob Pursey's previous outfits, Tallulah Gosh and Heavenly. The vocal entwining of the two is as wonderful as ever, but the sound has been expanded. This has allowed a greater depth to the album in what seems to be righteous fury at what Brexit has made us.

The songs are beautiful, but melancholic and what appears simple on first listen allows much discovery on future visits. The vocal harmony on Face On The Rail Line is something everyone should admire. Three Way Car has a Western feel on the verse linked to an almost Beautiful South chorus. 

Canterbury Lanes is Folk Pop at times, yet is almost Toytown Psych. Like The Rain is very 60's Film Noir soundtrack and The Overview Effect is a magnificent closer. Newcomers expecting C86 Pop will be slightly disappointed, but after five minutes engrossed. 

The subject matter is one of disappointment and the lyrics make that clear, but the 80's Disco of Mirrorball does all that and is still enchanting. A special mention must be made for Always On My Mind which is a cracking example of Jaunty Pop and a reminder of what the duo used to do. Birling Gap is never ordinary and Highly Recommended.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can find out more about The Catenary Wires here.

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The Arthurs - Glass

 

On to the Netherlands and The Arthurs. The band's second album is a splendid affair. It's unashamedly a Rock album, but this isn't an in your face blow out. Everything is beautifully understated, arrangements are spot on. 

There's masses to get you interested, but never enough to get you shaking your fist. There are some wonderful Guitar Solos, but they always fit the song and are never too long. Glass is a Guitar album and proud of it. However it is also beautifully laidback.

The stand out song is the jaw dropping title track. It is West Coast Rock of the highest order, but the variety elsewhere shows that this lot are no one trick ponies. There is a real gentle Psych feel to Void and Ghost Of Time is based around a killer haunting riff.

The noisiest the band get is on Window, riffs come from everywhere and the pace is really picked up. Yet Something With Oceans is somewhere between Goth and Jangle, but controlled beautifully by Robin den Drijver's fine mellow vocals. The Guitar arrangements on this are ace.

Hiraeth opens with a Desert Rock like riff but then wades into a mix of Psych Pop and Space Rock. Alice At The Wedding is a great closer. A little slower than what precedes it, slightly U2 in their better days and an absolute gem of a riff.

The tendency with this type of album is for the songs to be a minute too long, none of that here. It is very say what you want to say and move on. I don't listen to many Rock albums these days, Glass has convinced me that I should. Highly Recommended!

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can find out more about The Arthurs here.

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Hurry - Fake Ideas

 

I feel I'm on a familiar territory, or at least my old stomping ground, with Hurry's fourth album and that is a good thing. The quartet have mastered an area somewhere between Power Pop and the Glasgow territory of the likes of Teenage Fanclub. Mastered being the key word.

Guitars Jangle on catchy verses and big choruses. Songs are built on a killer riffs awaiting the break out solo. Unusually for this genre, the lyrics are plentiful, none of this verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, first verse again, chorus here. The lyrical depth is admirable.

Philadelphia's Matt Scottoline leads the band with aplomb and although you know what to expect, four albums in, you would want no more. Fake Ideas just sounds so Upbeat that no one could be critical, you just want to sing along.

Few have also developed gradually without the quality varying. I can think of Caddy and few others. Any of these ten songs could appear on a Best Of Hurry and you cannot give them a higher compliment. The band feel very Brit whilst never losing sight of being American 

Slogging Through The Summer is very TFC and but for the lockdown could have been the Summer Breakout song with its hypnotic Twang. Oh Whitney is very Lightning Seeds with a gem of a riff. In My Very Old Age is a splendid meandering closer. 

In truth though, it is really hard and unfair to pull out individual songs as every one is great as the other. Power Pop give the impression that its easy. It is much harder to get it right and few do it better than Hurry. Fake Ideas is a joy to listen to. A real feel good album!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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The Peacers - Blexxed Rec

 

The Peacers' third album, their second as a quartet is a fine thing to behold. Wonderfully inventive with Pop overtones regularly creeping out of the Psych and Garage mix. I talk a lot about the poppier end of Psych Pop, but this is far more from the Psych end.

It is such a splendidly noisy affair and yet the band switch easily into the melancholic, largely acoustic on a song like Irish Suit. At times, there's a bit of a Radiohead does Psych feel, but then again it might be The Kinks doing Psych.

This is all deliciously lo-fi without you ever doubting that this lot can play. I have often wondered what the current Brian Bordello offerings would sound like in group form and decided that it would probably be this. The Peacers can be as way out as you wish, but equally there are Pop Gems such as Dandelion. 

Don't be mistaken about how chaotic or messy it can seem because there are depths revealed on every listen. The beauty is that they are not trying to be anyone else and that freedom makes them leaders rather than followers. 

The Thunder is An Electric Love God is almost Glam Rock and Bic Star is in mid 60's Revolver territory. 2017's Introducing The Crimsmen hinted at what was to come. That second album revelled in the group format whilst still not wanting to lose the Garage Street feel. 

Blexxed Rec is a far more song related affair, the Pop springs out wonderfully without ever losing what the band are about. Plus, if there is a better song this year than Make IT Right, I haven't heard it. Psych Pop is undergoing a real revival and these four remind you that Psych is in the title. 

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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IDHAS Ten Songs Mix 5

Because we don't write about singles and individual songs, We wanted to utilise something simple to mention songs that we like. Hence the Ten Songs Mix thing which will appear weekly. Ten new songs in 37 minutes this week.

Apologies for the delay due to work commitments. However we do have an absolute cracker for you this week. The first three week's have hit high positions in the Mixcloud Global Indie Rock Chart. Week 4 reached No 19 in the Mixcloud Global Indie Pop Chart.

This week's Mixcloud link is below and at the foot of the page is the Mixcloud Player which takes you directly to the music. Here is the playlist of the ten songs this week.

01 The Well Wishers - Wonderful Life

02 Daniel In The Dark - No Help

03 The Sun Sawed In Half - Cat's Away

04 Jake Skuller - Only Getting Older

05 Salim Nourallah - Donut Shop

06 Sloper - Mind Melter

07 The Lunar Laugh - I Wanna Know

08 Oscar Lang - 21st Century Hobby

09 Jude Cole - I'll Miss You

10 Tunnel Traffic - Wishing Well

IDHAS Ten Songs Mix 5

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Daniel In The Dark - Care To Share

 

Los Angeles's Daniel In The Dark has released a splendid album. The only frustrating thing is that there is little around to embed in this review to convince you how great Care To Share is and I'm hoping this might be remedied. All I can offer are the Spotify and Apple Music links at the foot of the review to allow you to listen to it.

I've been listening to this constantly for the past week and it is corking. More in the Rock area than is the default here, but riff driven and those riffs are big and hypnotic. The choruses are big and there's plenty of bases covered.

Touches of Glam, Desert Rock and even Stadium Rock. Lyrically, it is surprisingly deep. No Help, which you can hear on the upcoming IDHAS Ten Song Mix is in in Muse Territory without the hysteria and messed about with vocals.

One Millionth Time is very Queens Of The Stone Age, yet Social Status is more 80's Rock. Like And Share could even be Prog, but Today Is The Day is Anthemic. Daniel has quite a following on Instagram here, I'm just more than a little surprised that the general internet doesn't reveal more because Care To Share really is a fine album.

You can listen to the album here.

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Oscar Lang - Chew The Scenery

 

There's been constant excitement in the Pop Rock world awaiting the debut album from Oscar Lang. The EP and song releases have promised much and the Londoner has hinted at such variety in these releases. This can be really dangerous with expectations too high, we've been fooled by hype many times before.

Thankfully, Chew The Scenery is everything that was expected. 12 songs (plus an Intermission) of great variation, although one foot is always in the Pop Rock, almost Brit Pop camp, there is so much here to tune your ears into, not everything works, but the vast majority does. 

The album is at its best when the chipper Summery Pop is at the forefront, but the Psych Pop is also beautifully done. Less successful is the Dance Pop of  Yeah and Are You Happy. It does showcase the talent, but ends up sounding a bit too Robbie Williams. 

His Piano Pop is great, Write Me A Letter is wonderful, but there does seem to be far more depth when the Guitar is plugged in and at the forefront. Away from this, Final Call is very Verve like, although the piano is splendidly creative and there is a wonderful string break out. 

But is the chirpier stuff that stands out most. 21st Century Hobby is a great feel good affair, probably the best thing on the album. Thank You is really uplifting and Stuck fairly races along with its killer chorus. There's also a real Psych break out that adds even more. 

I Could Swear has a slight 60's and is a top notch Pop singalong chorus. Headphones is close to Scouse Pop Rock, a real anthem. There really is so much to like here. It is also a real change to hear something slightly celebratory and positive.

You can buy the album here and listen to it everywhere.

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They Seek Him Him There

 

Fear not kids! I Don't Hear A Single Hasn't Been Mothballed and Don hasn't gone off to join the Paul Weller Fan Club. I'm currently in the middle of a real work contract and it is long long days. It has now switched to four days on and four days off and the current four days on continue up to and including Tuesday. It is all work and sleep during the work days. 

However, those with sharp mental arithmetic skills will have worked out that Wednesday to Saturday are free days, so a lot is planned IDHAS wise including the delayed IDHAS 10 Song Mix 5. Number 4 hit the Top 20 of the Mixcloud Global Indie Pop Chart. Plenty of Reviews to come too. So in the meantime why not browse some older Reviews if you don't fancy cake baking or underwater knitting.

See you then!

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