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The Veils: Sun Gangs
Written by Pete Burgess.
Following the 2004 release of their debut, The Runaway Found, frontman Finn Andrews disbanded and reshaped The Veils. With new personnel, 2007’s follow-up Nux Vomica was an altogether more intense affair, the harsh ‘Jesus for the Jugular’ featuring alongside ballads including ‘Under the Folding Branches’. The same line-up survives for Sun Gangs, which repeated listens show to be their most varied, and perhaps most rewarding, work to date.
After opening with the grand ‘Sit Down by the Fire’, the stylistic variety on show is epitomised by the pairing of ‘The Letter’ and ‘Killed by the Boom’. The former has, instrumentally, similar guitar motifs and drumming to a Coldplay song, but Andrews’ vocals and lyrics lift it far above any insipid Martin-pap.
The latter, on the other hand, leaps in with a grinding mix of distorted and clean guitars to give the impression of rampant shifts in musical direction, the controlled mayhem held together by an anguished vocal line. Juxtaposing the most musically disparate songs could make for an unfulfilling track-link, but ‘Killed by the Boom’ provides an invigorating change of course.
Although Andrews’ vocals (previously compared to the likes of Morrissey, Jack White and Nick Cave) are probably the band’s most distinctive feature, the balance of the whole band is essential to the power of Sun Gangs. ‘Three Sisters’, mandolin-led and energetic, is more reliant on a rhythmic ensemble performance than chord changes, and ‘The House She Lived In’ is well-formed, a warmly familiar rock n’ roll ballad.
All this builds up to ‘Larkspur’, the eight minute long penultimate track, whose swell of dirty guitar drones is pleasingly reminiscent of the Bad Seeds’ ‘Night of the Lotus Eaters’. Along with the earlier ‘It Hits Deep’, ‘Larkspur’ provides the atmospheric highlight of Sun Gangs, before the piano-led ‘Begin Again’ brings proceedings to a unified close.
Sun Gangs is due to be released on Monday 6 April.
The Veils: Official Site | MySpace | Facebook
Joe Gideon & The Shark: Harum Scarum
Written by Jonathan Wilkes.
Having already seen Joe Gideon & The Shark live twice, it is safe to say that I am an early convert. The brother and sister duo put on a remarkable live show and have such a stage presence that it was impossible not to be swept away. There was one question however: could they transfer their charisma and personality to a studio album? Short answer: yes.
Joe Gideon & The Shark offer a blues-rock that is so gritty and visceral, comparable to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. This is thrown into your face with the first track, 'Harum Scarum' - Joe Gideon with a powerful bass line and the Shark’s multi-instrumental backing: drums, digital piano, support vocals and endless effective loops.
Songs like 'Civilisation' and 'Hide and Seek' are perfect examples on this album of Joe Gideon’s truly mesmerising storytelling, and you can see just how perfectly they combine with the melodies created by the Shark. 'Civilisation' tells the tale of a man desperate to learn about the world so goes out to “learn the ways of man”.
The chances are as soon as you’re finished Harum Scarum you will want to replay straight away.
'Hide and Seek' also acts as evidence of just how poignant the songs of Joe Gideon & The Shark are. A man remembers his childhood and a boy in his school class who everyone disliked. With dark humour mixed with moving hanging lyrics, this song is a treat.
My personal favourite, however, is 'Anything You Love that Much You Will See Again'. Starting with a slow piano melody opening up to Joe Gideon’s beautiful lyrics and offering him a real chance to show how good of a singer he actually is. An unforgettable track.
Their character is not lost at all in a studio album. Each song is so tightly constructed but yet they all flow with such ease, as if this comes naturally to them. This results in a fantastic debut album but also means that their live performances will always be different to Harum Scarum, and that is only a good thing, allowing them to ad-lib and enjoy the freedoms that their songs allow.
The chances are as soon as you’re finished Harum Scarum you will want to replay straight away. I advise you to follow this instinct because with every listen you discover new layers to their music and fall in love with each song.
Joe Gideon & The Shark: MySpace
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